Episode VIII: The Advance of the Padawans
by numtwelve
Summary: It is a time of HOPE in the galaxy. A new Jedi school, led by Luke Skywalker, has emerged on Yavin 4 to train those sensitive to the Force. With the surprise appearance of Rey Palpatine, the Jedi band together to continue training their students with their minds on the FUTURE...Spoilers for TFA, TLJ and TROS. Canon pairings, EU gloriousness, Canon divergent (my own story)
1. Chapter 1

Please note: This is part 2 of a three-part series. Please read this AFTER you read Episode VII: The Future Unwritten.

Star Wars Episode VIII The Advance of the Padawans

It is a time of HOPE in the galaxy. A new Jedi school, led by Luke Skywalker, has emerged on Yavin 4 to train those sensitive to the Force.

With the surprise appearance of Rey Palpatine, the Jedi band together to continue training their students with their minds on the FUTURE.

While the students learn the ways of the Force, the Jedi keep a sharp eye on intelligence gathered by the NEW REPUBLIC, waiting for news of the Emperor's apprentice….

Chapter 1

Yavin 4 was a wonderful setting for a school; Luke wondered how he had missed the beauty of the planet the first time he was on it. Leia often laughed and told him that he wasn't really focusing on the beauty, what with the Empire's threat looming so close. But now that he was here full time, he realized just how amazing it was. The base that the Rebellion had used during the Galactic War had been a Jedi temple years ago, so the Force was strong in and around the base. This made it much easier for him to be able to teach.

As is common with Luke, he tended to focus on what he didn't have, rather than what he did. It was something Yoda had mentioned during his initial training and was something his father brought up a lot. But he was trying to live in the present. With the looming threat of the Emperor's release on the horizon, he really could have panicked very easily. But, with his students, it was much better for all of them if he focused on teaching.

With the appearance of Rey, his fear of the future came to a head. He worked through his thought processes with the Jedi, after asking Leia to join them. Because of her involvement with the Force training, Leia had to be made aware of certain parts of the future vision that Luke hadn't originally shared. He didn't want Han and Leia to know how they died; he didn't feel that was important to the point of the issue.

"Troubling, this is. Wonder do I what else may have been changed?"

"I know that this may be an unpopular opinion, but the mother in me is happy that she's here," Leia said, taking a hard look at the Jedi around them. "What have all of you been hammering into me since we got to Yavin? Just wait until Rey is born, she is the best fight we have against Snoke regarding Ben."

"An understandable conclusion, daughter. And a smart one." Anakin smiled at her, pride showing on his face. "We could sit and debate all day what else may have changed, but I am thrilled to be able to meet this extraordinary child. She is good for my family; she is what we need to defeat the Emperor. Now we can rest easy that she is here."

Leia and Luke nodded in response to Anakin's statements. Obi-Wan and Yoda, though, didn't look convinced. Depa is who helped stop the conversation.

"Master Yoda, you always tell us to stay in the here and now and not look to what we have or don't. Let's focus on today; Rey is here, and she needs to be trained." She looked at everyone in the room. "But we must be cautious. We don't know if this is the same Rey from Luke's vision. She could be from the same parents but a completely different child. We don't know what those implications are yet. So, for now, we train her and do not worry about the future."

Having a tacit approval from all of them, Luke had made his way back to the three newcomers. They were all relieved when Luke advised that they were welcome to stay on Yavin, under the protection of the Jedi.

"Someday, I wish to hear your story, Will." Luke placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "When you are ready."

The three quickly made a home along with the other parents and New Republic personnel. The Jedi all flocked to the housing area to meet them; most hoping to be witness to the first meeting of Rey and Ben.

Ben had been in training all afternoon, so the normally cheerful child was tired and in need of a nap. Rey had been pent up in a ship for most of the day. The combination of those two factors meant that the audience was disappointed. The two children looked at each other, and that was about it. Luke and Leia shared a smile. The two children would come to know each other better later, and then they would all be able to see if Rey was the same person Luke had seen in his vision.

But, since the two meeting hadn't been very dramatic, no one really thought much of it. Luke continued with his teaching alongside the Jedi. His most favorite parts though were when they were all together as a group. The students asked many questions, and he was happy to be able to answer. The Jedi helped if he faltered, but they let him take the lead.

"The Force is timeless. There is nothing in our history that says it 'appeared' one day. Rather, the earliest known explorers indicate there was an unknown energy field that surrounded all living things. Therefore, it must be respected while learning it. It is greater than you, or I, or any other Jedi.

"There are three pillars of the Jedi that we will be learning in your time here. The first of these is the Force. In order to be trained in the ways of the Jedi it is an important piece; and the one that we will be learning about today. In today's lesson, we will discuss what the Force is, how Jedi use it, and why.

"The Force is bigger than all of us, as I said. It is the life energy that exists all around us, binding us all together into the galaxy. The space between mass; the air between you and I, the trees, the rocks, everything. A vast cosmic power, it ripples the surface of space and time. The Force contains the whisper of your personal destiny, and it _does_ have a will. It is up to us to interpret it.

"Some of you may already be able to sense it – feel it – around you. As Jedi in training, we, your teachers, will help you feel the Force around you and help control it."

"How can we control something so large? Something that is bigger than all of us? Than the galaxy?" Castial Lia asked, sitting next to her twin, Cain. As the two in the middle of all the other students surrounding them, they looked to be the youngest. Their ages of ten years seem older when either asked questions. Depa was most proud of these two.

"Control the Force, you will not, Cas. Feel it and use it, you will. The Force is not there for someone to conquer as a planet or a war. Primary is to learn to control yourself and your emotions, then be able to manage your surroundings you will." Yoda walked forward toward the initiates. "Self-directed focus, this teaches. The Force can be bent and shaped, when at peace you are."

"Teacher Luke! You said today's lesson was on the Force, but what are the other two pillars of the Jedi?" Odinna asked, leaning forward on her knees.

Luke smiled down at her. Bright, blue eyes stared up at him contrasting with the pale pink skin and jet-black hair. Being from Mirial, she had a natural Force ability. Her parents had wanted structured training for her that they didn't have; because the Force abilities run so smoothly within that species the parents were also admitted into Luke's school, but they hadn't wanted full training. They had control training, and when they were confident, they had decided to stop.

"The other two, that we will cover on another day, are Knowledge and Self-Discipline. All three are linked together heavily. We will cover those later today if we have time, or during tomorrow's session. As Jedi, we must learn the Force first and then move to the other two to understand deeply what we still need to learn."

"The ancient texts indicate that Knowledge is the most important of the three pillars. That may require more time than the other two." Obi-Wan came forward to stand near Yoda and Luke, smiling down at the students.

"How come we don't start with that then?" Ben asked, sitting in the back on Han's lap.

"When you were training on your Father's ship, did he push you straight into flying on your own?" Obi-Wan asked wisely.

Ben shook his head. "No, he won't let me fly it on my own. He says I need to learn more about it first."

"Ah, the same it is with the Force, young one. Learn the building blocks of what we are first, then move to more."

"I haven't decided if I want you to fly the Falcon yet, kid. We'll see," Han smirked at Luke, who smiled back at him.

"Aww, Dad…" Ben sat back and pouted, causing several students to chuckle.

The group settled down after that and began listening to Luke's lesson. In explaining about the Force, he discussed that each student would have smaller individual sessions on learning how to reach out with your feelings and sense what was around them. The students seemed excited to have one on one training, as some had yet to do this. The older students, who have mastered this – or at least understood the fundamentals – were still excited about one on one time. Luke's philosophy was to place the students together quite often to ensure everyone learned the same amount and type of knowledge.

"What about the Dark side?" Rey asked. This is was the first time she had spoken in training. Up until now she had been a quiet observer. All eyes turned to her, making her shrink against her mother.

"What about the Dark side, Rey?" Anakin asked, standing up from his seat next to Yoda.

"Go ahead, Rey. Ask the question you asked me last night that I couldn't answer," Will said encouragingly.

"How do you know the Dark side from the Light? How do you keep from being evil?" She sat up on her mother's lap looking determined. "How do you stop what could be genetic?"

All the Jedi looked at each other, surprised by her bold words. A child of four or five shouldn't have this kind of innate knowledge, particularly with the genetic part. Will sat back with a pleased look on his face; Luke and Anakin glanced at each other.

'Father, he's prompting her.'

Anakin nodded in agreement at Luke. 'Tread carefully in this answer, son. All ears are listening_._'

"The Dark side is not genetic, young Rey. Each person here has the choice to accept the Dark into their soul and remove the Light. As we really dive into initiate training, we will train and teach you how to avoid such a future.

"However," Luke held up his hand as all the students began to talk at once. Most wanting to know more than what he had just said. "I will say this about the Dark side. Fear, anger and hate are strong on the Dark side. Through our training, we will help you to focus on the Light side.

"Now, young Jedi, let's break for midday meal. Will, Jodie? Do you have a moment?" Luke called out, watching the students scatter for the kitchens. Rey looked up at her mother, who shooed her into joining the other students. Once Rey was gone, Will and Jodie walked over to Luke and Anakin.

"Thanks for letting us be a part of the lesson, Luke. That was interesting," Will said with a smile on his face. Luke looked at him closely, not quite believing in the words.

"I think we need to have a conversation about what you are actually doing here." Luke motioned for them to sit down.

"We are here to escape my father, as you know."

"I believe there is something more. Something you haven't told me."

Will and Jodie looked at each other. Jodie was the one who answered. "We don't want Rey to be like Will's father. We brought her here so that she would grow up being taught about the Jedi, not the Sith."

Luke nodded at Anakin, who was standing silently behind them. "We can teach her the ways of the Force, but we cannot make life decisions for her. She can learn all about the Light from us and still choose to turn to the Dark as she gets older." Anakin sat down next to Jodie, placing his hand over hers. "We will do our very best for all of our students to equip them to make these choices as they are older, but we cannot tell them what to do."

Rey's parents glanced at each other, and then back to Anakin. "I guess we understand that. It's just that we know her power lies along the same path as the Emperor. We don't want her to become him."

"I assure you that we will do our very best to avoid that. The Force has its own will, but Rey is a sweet child. We will encourage that." Luke promised to the worried parents. "I can also assure you that it is not genetic. Father?"

Anakin sighed, removing his hand from Jodie's. "In my youth, I turned evil as a result of the Emperor." Their shocked silence spoke volumes. But Anakin continued, "With my son's help, I was able to turn back to the side of Light and am standing here with you today because of that. Do not underestimate what love can do to aide this."

"What is your name, sir?" Will asked, leaning forward. "My father spoke of an apprentice many times…"

"When I was evil, I was known as Darth Vader."

Will sat back and hissed a little. Jodie's smile turned to a look of disgust and inched away from him. Anakin stood up and walked to stand behind Luke.

"My Father is who destroyed the Emperor during the battle of Endor. I am only alive because he turned to save my life."

"He was not destroyed as you see it."

Luke and Anakin nodded. "That much we know, but we don't know the details as to why or how."

"A conversation for another time." Will stood up, taking Jodie with him. "You have given us much to think about. Let me discuss with my wife in private, please."

Once they were far enough away, the men continued their conversation. "Father, I'm not sure about this. I have a bad feeling about them. I cannot place it, but I fear that their destiny is not a good one."

Anakin nodded sitting next to Luke, looking at the retreating forms. "I agree, son. Something is off but I cannot tell what. If we were not expected to be in training sessions this afternoon, I would suggest that we meditate on our thoughts. See if the Force can aide us in this.

"Luke, you still need to have a meal. Let's find the other Jedi and decide who will take which students. The afternoon should be spent in our individual trainings." Anakin stood up, extending his hand to help Luke up as well. "Never fear son, we will figure all of this out."

"I know, Father. My current worry is how many of the Jedi will fight over taking Ben or Rey for training." Anakin laughed, and Luke joined him. The two were much sought after, especially with individual training.

"Let's go fight them off. We know that their training should be together, and it should be me who does it."

"Father don't start an argument with me on this. We've already discussed it, and it should be me. Having the knowledge of the future that is not to be."

They walked off bickering slightly, not seeing a small child listening in on the conversation. Ben poked his head around one of the pillars that encased the plaza where they had all met.

"Grandfather was evil?" he asked himself. Hearing his mother call him, he ran off toward the mess to get something to eat before afternoon sessions, thinking to himself, "Why do they care who gets me to train?"

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who came back! I am super excited about this part as the Jedi training is something I find fascinating. We will dive into Force-sensitives learning their place in the world, being taught about the Force and how to manage growing up with extra abilities.**

**We see more from our Jedi teachers as well, as I always felt that Luke may have needed a bit more help. We start this part off under Luke's watchful eye, but we may shift to someone else's POV later.**

**Story will be updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays going forward.**

**Once again, a thank you to my husband for this idea (see Part 1 Episode VII: The Future Unwritten for more details on that!), and my beta Zombiefied419 for all the help, encouragement and just running ideas with me.**

**Chapter Sources:**

Star Wars: The Jedi Path

Movies:

Star Wars A New Hope

Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Return of the Jedi

Star Wars The Force Awakens


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Reminder to read the first part of this series, Episode VII: The Future Unwritten, before reading this one. Explanations and introductions in this chapter. Necessary :)**

Chapter 2

The individual training sessions were something that the students and teachers both enjoyed. Prior to Rey's appearance Luke had many such sessions so he knew the students would come back from the midday meal excited. The teachers stood in a line in the front of the amphitheater where the students began to take their seats. Expectant eyes stared up at them.

"Cas and Cain, you are with me today." Obi-Wan beckoned the twins, gesturing to follow him.

"Odinna and Ma'Rei, work with me today, you will," Yoda said; the girls smiled at him and began to move toward the practice area.

"U'Kurran and Leia; this way." Depa started walking toward her favorite place to practice, which was deep in the woods. She preferred the quiet of nature over the base.

"Min and Leyaana, over here," Anakin said smiling as the girls jumped up with huge grins on their face. He had worked with them before and found that they worked off each other well. All three of them always came away from their sessions laughing. Luke loved seeing his father that way.

"Rey and Ben, you guys are stuck with me today." Luke began making his way into his training section, which was on the side of the base. From there he had a good view of the rest of the teachers and students, as well as the base. Probably just a relic of his time with the Resistance, but he didn't like to turn his sights away from the hanger.

Once he was in his training sector, Luke turned to face the young ones. Two expectant eyes stared up at him. "Rey, this will be your first individual session, and really your first training with the Force. Ben and I have trained together many times, so I want you to watch first while I begin with him. Then, we can see what you can do."

Rey nodded; eyes wide. She turned slightly and sat against a tree trunk off to the side, crossing her legs and staring at the two of them. Ben looked up at Luke expectedly, waiting for instruction.

"Ben let's try meditating first to focus your mind. Let's see if you can do it on your own this time." Ben nodded and sat down, closing his eyes. Luke walked over to Rey to explain what Ben was doing. "One of the most important things you will learn here is how to draw upon the Force. We will start by focusing on your control, then we can move to how to sense the Force. Altering your surroundings can be very useful, so that will be later in your training."

"Okay, Master," Rey said, big eyes still on Ben.

Luke shifted away from Ben and following his meditation in the Force to look at Rey. "What did you just call me?"

Rey turned to face him. "Master? Mum and dad told me that I'm supposed to call you that, since you are my teacher."

"I understand, young one." Luke nodded and smiled at her. "But, in my new version of Jedi we are all equals. There are no masters, just teachers and students."

Rey smiled back. "Okay, teacher."

They turned back to Ben; who's eyes were still closed as he tried to relax. Luke reached out with his feelings to 'watch' what Ben was doing, and how it was going. He could feel the Force swirling around him, but it was unsteady. His control snapped into place all at once, without Luke's help. It was a shock when he felt Rey had reached out as well, watching what he was doing to help Ben.

Ben opened his eyes and stared straight at Rey. "Was that you?" he asked.

Rey opened her eyes and looked back at him. "I was trying to follow along. How did you do that? You were hovering a little bit above the ground."

Ben's eyes were wide as he looked to Luke for confirmation. "Was I hovering off the ground? I have seen you do that, but I've never done it before!"

Smiling back at him, Luke stood up, Rey and Ben following suit. "We haven't really studied this yet, but what Ben was accomplishing was a sort of deep meditation. This is where you are aligning your mind and body with the Force. As you gain more knowledge of the Force around you, and the way it moves, breathes and inhabits everything in the galaxy, you will be able to gain full and complete meditation.

"This is the best way to feel refreshed and calm. As you learn, you will be able to clear your mind even faster and feel the Force flow through you. When this happens, as it just happened with Ben, you may find yourself rising into the air; you may have premonitions, or visions of the future. Ben is still young and learning, so that type of clarity may not come yet."

Luke stared into Ben's bright eyes, reaching out and clasping him on the shoulder. "I am deeply impressed, my young student. You are far too young to have been able to achieve levitation through meditation. Even with someone else helping you."

Ben blushed lightly, averting his eyes. "Thanks, Uncle."

"Good job, Ben!" Rey said, clapping a little. She looked genuinely excited, and very impressed by him. Luke was thrilled to see that they got along well, as his plan was to continue to train them together.

By the time the individual training sessions were done, all the students were tired. As expected, his father and his students came away chuckling a little; everyone else just looked exhausted. Luke released everyone at that time, calling the Jedi teachers to his room inside the base for a consultation. Once they were all seated within the chamber, Luke told them of Ben's achievement today and how Rey was able to instinctively reach out and help Ben meditate.

Anakin, smiling wide, was the first to speak up. "He's an impressive boy, that grandson of mine. When he and I worked together a few weeks ago I was impressed by how deeply connected with the Force he already is. Honing and discipline is what he needs, but he will be powerful one day."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Rey is definitely on the rise as well. What's amazing is that with her is that it is all instinctual. It's like she just innately knows and understands the Force. I have seen no equal in this in my years of teaching at the academy. Master Yoda?"

Yoda sat back on his small chair, nodding with Obi-Wan. "Indeed, Master Obi-Wan, I have not. Many children were strong with the Force when they arrived at the school, but this strong they were not. Impressive, and a good partner for Ben. As their strength grows, they will be able to hone their skills together. Stronger together, they will be."

"You guys are never going to stop using the 'master' title, will you?" Luke laughed, leaning against the wall while sitting on his bed. "Teacher and student, that's what I want. Rey called me master today and I set her straight."

"Your school, it is, Luke. Habits such as this are hard to break," Yoda admonished.

"I would like to see the children actually working together. Perhaps I can have them in the next one on one trainings?" Depa said, bringing them back to the original conversation.

"I don't see why not. Honestly, I want to rotate next anyway." Luke stood up, measuring his next words carefully. "We do not yet know what happened with Mace and Qui-Gon, and I do not know when I will lose any of you. I need to make sure that I am comfortable with all of the students so that I may continue their training when you are gone."

"A wise thought process, son. We would all like to stay forever of course, but we cannot. Nor can we claim to know when our time here will be complete." Anakin looked to Depa. "How is Leia coming along in her training? When I worked with her briefly a few years ago, she showed tremendous progress."

"She and U'Kurran work well together, but not seamlessly. Because of this, I have them work separately more than anything. He has had an easier time, as he was self-training for many years before coming to us. Where she has trouble is with anything that is outside of the galaxy norms that she believes.

"She asks questions about everything, and you know I have no problems with that. But when I explain that she will be able to move things with her mind. Her brain is telling her that is impossible. We are still unlearning with that one."

"Normal, this is. And why adults are harder to teach and not often brought into the school. Easier, children are. Less to unlearn and more open to curious ideas."

Depa nodded in agreement. "I will push on with her training. She needs it, and I will not give up."

Through the next few weeks, Luke and the Jedi continued to train the students. They mixed up the one on one sessions, and Luke finally began to understand why his father was always laughing with Min and Leyaana. They were about 10 years apart in age, Min being in her early 20s and Leyaana being almost 13. But they both liked to joke around together. Neither girl was shy or nervous, and they meshed well. Leyaana would try to do something and fail, and instead of allowing her time to feel bad Min would tell a joke in response. This always cheered up the younger girl, who could then go back to the lesson. Typically, she would be able to accomplish the task after that because her mood had been improved.

Leyaana was the only Twi'lek on the base, which was not that unusual. Many of the student didn't have any of their own race with them. Several were children of New Republic personnel, who were mostly based on Chandrila. The parents that had not remained on Yavin 4 with their children did often come back to visit, but Leyaana was an orphan. Luke had found her in an orphanage on Coruscant during a visit he had made a year or so ago. Her dark purple skin and contrasting black eyes made her stand out, but it was her Force-sensitivity that had made Luke seek her out.

Min on the other hand, had found them. She had shown up just a few weeks after Luke had officially started the school, flying in her own ship and demanding, politely, that she be trained. She said that something had compelled her to visit this system and she sensed them once she had flown near enough. The daughter of a New Republic Engineer and ship captain easily incorporated into the group without much concern. Her parents were thrilled when Luke had contacted them advising that Min would be staying on Yavin, since they understood what the Jedi were about.

As Luke made the rounds of the students, he became to know them all much better. Odinna had been Leia's find, within the New Republic. She was young, no more than eight, with a big heart. Leia was friends with her parents on Chandrila and had sensed the Force within her when dining with them one evening. Her parents had chosen to stay with them on Yavin 4 due to the training they had wanted, though they took frequent trips back to the main headquarters.

Ma'Rei had tagged along with Odinna, as they had attended a primary school together and were the best of friends. Her parents were explorers and didn't stay in one place for too long, so they tended to leave her with friends in populated areas. This allowed her to attend school and make friends while they were off somewhere unknown. They would stop by now and then, but Ma'Rei was comfortable living with Odinna and her parents in the meantime.

She was an interesting child, as she had been born on Mandalore. Her parents, who had also been born there, had rejected the creed and left when she was just a baby, so she didn't really remember it. Since Mandalorians were of all mixed races, she wasn't sure her true race, but she was a humanoid.

Castial, who went by Cas, and Cain Lia, twins from Tholoth, were very entertaining. They were extremely close and had their own way of communicating. They could talk to each other in their minds already when they had arrived. Their parents were freighter captains and had chosen to stay on base to upkeep the equipment and ensure the children were safe. It was a good thing that their parents had remained, as the twins could get into trouble very easily.

The last student was still a bit of a mystery to Luke. He had worked with U'Kurran several times now and was still intrigued by the oldest student. Being from Iridonia, a planet in the Mid-Rim of the galaxy, his mental keenness and strength was already well established when he arrived. He was mysterious as Luke knew very little about his background. U'Kurran had dark brown skin, with bright red hair that hung longer than most Zabrek's Luke had encountered.

He had facial tattoos that were thin lines stretching from the top of his head where his horns were, down to his neck. He had never explained what they were for, but Luke assumed it was a cultural norm as many of his kind had similar markings.

He, too, had just shown up one day humbly asking to be taught in the ways of the Force. He had caused a little bit of discord with the Jedi, since he was significantly older than most new recruits. He was in his mid-40s but had trained himself along the way. He came in with a knowledge of the Force surrounding him and had many abilities that the younger students were only beginning to understand. He had also already constructed his own lightsabre, from the wood and metal of his home planet and a kyber crystal found during his space exploration.

As Luke got to know the students, he was more and more encouraged. He knew that he would have a strong army to fight Snoke and the Emperor when the time came.

**A/N: Hello Friends! Welcome to the next episode my sequel triligy, The Rise of Ben Solo. So many ideas that could have been expanded upon, or just people I would have liked to see...well, it all comes down to having to write it out to get it out of my head.**

**FAQs:**

**Part 1 and the Jedi returning: I thought this was a really interesting idea. I read a few EU stories that had similar ideas, and just expanded on it. I wanted more redemption for the Jedi that we didn't see enough of...especially Depa Bilaba. Man, I just love her.**

**Why write the series: The Luke we knew from A New Hope had some underlying vulnerabilities; though he was more confident in Jedi, we still saw him falter (because he's human!), though ultimately stay on the Light side. **

**Why change the Jedi code: In the original series the Jedi were mysterious, and not much was really known. The prequels brought in more Jedi lore, that I never really cared for. My way of saying this is what I think the Luke I loved from the originals would have said to the old Jedi way.**

**I hope you all enjoy this story! Thanks again to my husband for the idea, and Zombiefied419 for all the help in editing and prereading for me!**

**Chapter Sources:**

Star Wars: The Jedi Path

wiki/Iridonia

wiki/Zabrak/Legends

wiki/Mirial/Legends

wiki/Tholoth

wiki/Twi'lek

wiki/Mandalore

Movies:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (movie and show)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Little time jump here, and more training. Moving the plot along :)**

Chapter 3

~3 years later~

Through the next few years, Luke's students began to make real strides with Force training. Luke was feeling more and more comfortable being a teacher; really coming into the role with a flourish. His strength was increasing, as well as his control. His private lessons with the Jedi were no longer as strenuous as they were. As he grew in the Force, he could see his students doing the same. And he no longer worried about handling the training without help.

He had gained a few more students in those years, but he had gained a teacher as well. U'Kurran had passed all the Jedi trials and became the first of the students to start training others. This was not a surprise, as he had been considerably trained before he had come to Yavin.

U'Kurran had begun teaching two new additions: Hruall and Regolan. They were both from his home world and the newly appointed teacher had grown a fondness for them both. He had requested to take them as padawans, but Luke insisted that they go through initiate training first before pushing them into greater trainings.

Rey and Ben had grown closer in the last few years also. Being closer in age than the original future had foretold, Luke worried about what differences they would see. But they were all pleasantly surprised to note that whatever relationship they were going to have in future, they were starting it all off as friends. They would eat lunch together, meditate together and always insisted on training together. Rey was a very serious young lady, at the age of 8, but Ben lived to make her laugh; always doing silly things during their training sessions to break her calm and gain a chuckle. Rather than frustrating her, it helped them bond even more.

Many of the other new students had been young, closer in age to Rey and Ben. Luke enjoyed teaching the younger students, who would mostly just sit in awe as he displayed the things they would learn. But the older students, or at least the ones who had been with him longer, were even more rewarding to teach. He could feel their control growing and when they achieved amazing feats, he was always impressed.

"Practicing your ability to sense the Force is extremely important," he had told his older students that morning. "You can feel it, you can sense it, but the Force is elusive; complicated. You must continue to hone your skills in order to use it better.

"Through deep meditation, you can achieve heightened senses. Think on how helpful this can be when you lose your practice blade," he winked at Cain, who blushed. "The Force can help you speak with someone without talking, smell extra rations being opened in the middle of the night when you think everyone is asleep," this time he winked at Ben, who laughed, "but most importantly, it can help you sense an enemy in battle; hear him coming, see his movements or, in some cases, sense where an inanimate object has been."

"Teacher Luke, how do you sense anything about an inanimate object?" Rey asked, leaning forward in interest. "I thought the Force surrounded life; things that are alive."

"Good, Rey, that's correct. But, since the Force is the building block of the galaxy, it has a 'memory' of all events. Both to come, and those that have happened already. Now, this is a rare ability; only few can do this. I have asked Depa to come today and speak to you on sensing abilities, as she is one of the very best."

Depa stepped into the room, having been hovering in the doorway. "Luke is being too kind. But I am happy to share this ability with you. What he is talking about, is that I can sense object memory. I want to explain what that is, and how to achieve it. As it is a rare ability.

"_Tai vordrax_, or postcognition, is difficult to achieve, but can be a very useful ability. If you are tracking someone, or something, such as an enemy or your next meal, you can simply touch something and sense the history of the object to a degree. The Force has a memory, as Luke said, and by achieving a deep meditation and focusing your mind on the Force's perception of time you can sense past events.

"Let me give you an example." Depa looked through the student's faces staring up at her. "Min, can I please see your necklace?"

All eyes shifted to Min, who slowly removed her jeweled necklace and provided it to Depa. Luke looked on the young woman and realized that she really wasn't a student any longer. He made a mental note to discuss her promotion to be a Jedi Knight with the rest of the Jedi teachers.

Depa closed her eyes, her brow wrinkling slightly, as she held the necklace between both hands. "There is sadness surrounding this. I see pain and loss. Something deeply sad and catastrophic happened around this necklace, or maybe the jewels on the band?" Depa turned her head and looked directly into Min's eyes. "Someone died near this."

Min nodded solemnly. "Those adornments on the necklace were made from the wreckage of Hanna City. A section of the outskirts was destroyed during the Clone Wars by the Separatists. My mother found them when she was younger; before my siblings and I came along. She wove them into this necklace and gave it to me when I came of age. I wear it to remind myself that there is evil out there, and that I am strong enough to grow out of the ashes."

Depa smiled at the young woman, handing back her treasure. "A worthy enhancement to a wonderful woman, my dear. I will treasure the story." Depa looked to the rest of the students. "This memory contained within the necklace is not a new one. The Clone Wars were many years ago, yet it was as strong to me as looking on all of you. You may not be able to see specific locations with objects, but your feelings won't fail you.

"Because the history was violent; that is why I saw it so clearly."

The children were enthralled with Depa's lesson. Luke sat back and listened while she was continuing to explain how to focus. These are the times where he appreciated having the Jedi with him because they could bring in knowledge and abilities that he didn't have.

The next day brought something that Luke hardly ever got since he started his school: time. Luke enjoyed teaching, but there were times that he needed a break. He needed to have his own meditation time, so he had left the students with the Jedi and took a walk in the forest just after midday meal. He was meditating in a small grassy meadow surrounded by trees when he felt pain and fear not too far away from him. He jumped to his feet and pull his lightsabre off his belt on full alert.

Seeing nothing in his immediate area, he closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. He felt his way along the path he took, sensing that the source of the pain was one of his students in the small wooded area Depa preferred. He sheathed his lightsabre and took off running. He hadn't stopped long enough to figure out what happened or who was hurt, just where the pain was coming from.

When he rounded a large tree, he came across a small opening in the woods. The sight before him was terrifying. Cain lay on the ground, curled up and crying softly next to Cas, who was not moving. Depa was laying on the other side of the clearing and appeared to be dazed, but not unconscious. Luke made it to Cain and Cas just as Rey, Ben and Obi-Wan came around the corner having sensed the situation as well. Obi-Wan rushed to help Depa while Luke tried to assess Cas.

"It feels as though she has several broken ribs, possibly a concussion. Rey, Ben! One of you go get their parents, and the other go get the medical droid." Luke turned to Cain. "What happened, Cain? Can you tell me how they were injured?"

Cain shook his head, his eyes not leaving his sister. Tears were streaming down his face as Rey sat down next to him. "It's going to be ok."

She looked up at Ben, who was sitting beside Cas. Luke watched as they clasped hands, closed their eyes, and each lightly touched one of the twins. Ben's face started to go ashen as he concentrated on Cas, while Rey opened her eyes slightly to look at Luke.

"They were practicing fighting techniques. Depa was standing next to them watching while they sparred," she said, her eyes having a far-off look. "Cain was trying to push Cas away with the Force and he overcorrected his push. He ended up pushing them both away from him and they each crashed into a tree. Cas must have been stunned for a moment or two; he thought she was dead."

"She's coming around now, Uncle." Ben looked up, taking his hand off Cas and helping her to sit up. She eased her way up before seeing Cain, still laying down and crying.

"Cain, no, I'm fine!" She said out loud, presumably in response to something he had said to her silently. "Sit up, silly. I will live to torment you another day."

Luke helped Cain sit up, who dove at his sister hugging her with all his strength. Cas hugged him back and nodded, smiling slightly. Now that the children were all right, he turned around to see Depa standing up with Obi-Wan's help. She waved him off, indicating that she was fine.

Standing up, Luke walked off a little and asked Ben and Rey to follow. "What did you two just do?" he asked, keeping emotion out of his voice.

"Obi-Wan was teaching us about self-healing techniques yesterday, so I asked Ben if he wanted to try what we had learned to help Cas. Because I was able to go into a deep medication, I saw what had happened that made Cas get injured, as you had explained to us. Ben is better at healing than me, so I just gave him my strength so he could help."

"Did we do something wrong, Uncle?" Ben asked, sitting down on a fallen tree. Luke could see how exhausted he was.

"No, Ben, Rey. You did nothing wrong. It's just that healing others is something you haven't been taught yet. Healing yourself by drawing from the Force is usually easier on a Jedi than healing someone else. I need to speak with the other teachers to see if we need to change the way we are training you." He looked between their faces. "I am extremely impressed with both of you. You did a wonderful job today."

They both beamed with pride staring up at him. Depa walked over to them and crouched down. "Children, that was a very noble thing to do. I did not hear you ask Ben anything, Rey, did you do it in your mind?"

Rey shrugged. "We learned how to do that a few months ago and has been really helpful during training." Ben nodded in agreement.

Depa looked up at Luke, mild concern and surprise marking her face. "I agree with you. We should reevaluate their training." Turning to Rey and Ben, she said, smiling at them, "We wouldn't want you two to get bored."

Depa stood up and walked over to Obi-Wan, having a whispered conversation. Cas and Cain had finally calmed down enough to express their thanks to Ben and Rey. The four of them were sitting together talking about what had happened.

"Children, all four of you need to get some rest. Cas, Cain, why don't you go and check in with your parents. Let them know you are ok and then rest before evening meal. Rey and Ben, you used up a lot of energy, so you should lay down as well."

Ben and Rey looked at each other and grinned. "We have already drawn our energy back from the Force. We are fine."

Shaking his head, Luke looked down to them again. "Rest anyway. Drawing from the Force can help only for a short time. Your body still needs to recover from what you just put it through. Healing can take a lot out of you."

As the children began to wander back to the base, Luke turned back to Obi-Wan and Depa. "We need to discuss what just happened. They are stronger than I anticipated."

Depa and Obi-Wan both nodded in agreement, following him as he walked into the main training ground. Luke motioned to U'Kurran to come with them, noticing that Yoda was just wrapping his session with Odinna and Min while Anakin had already ended his session with Ma'Rei and Leyaana. All the Jedi began to make their way to Luke's quarters, which seemed to be the best place to meet.

Leia and Han had been gone for about a week back to Chandrila, so Ben had been staying with Luke in the meantime. Before they began to discuss the day's happenings, Luke made sure that Ben was not in his room. As the Jedi gathered in the small outer room area, Luke began to pace to try and clear his head. He recanted to the group what had happened.

"I see nothing wrong with this," U'Kurran stated. "On my world, those who can sense the Force learn to do many things before a proper trainer can be found. I, myself, learned to heal when I was just fourteen summers old. This was before I knew that there could be a teacher. The Jedi temple on Coruscant was gone by this time."

Depa nodded at him turning back to the group. "Indeed, this can be quite normal behavior from children. That is truly why it's easier to teach them; no offence U'Kurran. But you do not have to unlearn as much. Children innately believe they can do something because they see others doing it, or they simply don't know that they _shouldn't_ be able to."

"My grandson is brilliant! And, did I not tell you that Rey would be key for him? Look at what they accomplished today. Cas should be in the medical bay getting treated by a droid right now, but Ben healed her." Anakin's face beamed with pride as his smile practically lit up the room.

"It was useful that we were so close. What happened with Cain, Master Depa?" Obi-Wan sat down next to U'Kurran and looked at Depa.

"Cain overplayed his push. Last time we were training like this Cas beat him. I expect there may be a little competition there, so I think he pushed harder than he intended to while trying beat her finally." Depa stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the training grounds. "Cas is a better fighter, but Cain can sense the Force easier; meditate easier. They need different training now."

Yoda, who had remained quiet along with Luke, rose slowly and walked into the middle of the room. "Friends; discuss we must how to move forward. Our students require different training techniques, more personalized training. Padawans, they must become."

This caught Luke's attention. "Yoda, we simply do not have enough teachers to take Padawans. What can that teach, anyway, that we are not?"

"Luke, you never had the benefit of becoming a Padawan. It is not just about additional training, though that is a part of it…" Obi-Wan trailed off, seeing C3PO and R2D2 come into the room. Knowing that they had been on Chandrila with Leia and Han made them pause.

"Master Luke, Princess Leia and Sir Han are on their way. They asked me to make sure you were all together, but I see my job is done already!"

"What's going on, 3PO?" Luke asked, walking toward them a little.

"Unfortunately, I don't know much. But Princess Leia said she would be here soon to tell all of you." R2 beeped in response. "We can wait for the Princess, R2D2!"

Soon Leia and Han enter the room, both looking worried. She stepped forward addressing the group.

"Luke…everyone. We need to talk. Snoke's army has finally been spotted."

**A/N: Uh Oh...lol. Just so everyone knows, we do have a few time jumps in this part. Getting us to the right ages for everyone for part 3 (which, I'm happy to say is almost completely done!). I hope you are all enjoying my little jaunt into the Star Wars universe!**

**Thanks again to my wonderful beta, Zombiefied419, for all of your help and encouragement!**

**Chapter Sources:**

Star Wars The Jedi Path

Star Wars Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_"Luke…everyone. We need to talk. Snoke's army has been spotted."_

There was a stone silence as Leia recounted what they had learned during the last week. Snoke's army had advanced on one of the Mid-Rim planets, killing many of the inhabitants with several large ships. The New Republic had gotten there too late to help, as the invasion fleet was already gone when they arrived.

"The citizens we found on Jedha were shaken to say the least. Most haven't recovered from the destruction the Death Star did many years ago. It's a desolate planet at its core and was always a struggle to live there." Leia had finally stopped pacing and was leaning against Han for support. "Snoke just made it worse."

"Jedha is one of the planets that has a large collection of kyber crystals. The Jedi temple was destroyed long ago, as you said, but under the surface of the sandstone you could find many crystals to power lightsabres." Obi-Wan explained.

"Unfortunate, it is, that Jedha was the first attack location. Suggested, I would have, for the younglings to visit to craft their sabres."

Han took a step forward. "Unfortunate? Hundreds died in this attack. Maybe thousands! We don't know yet because of the sheer destruction on the surface of the planet!"

Leia stepped up next to Han, eyes flashing. "What's unfortunate is your callousness regarding life, Yoda!"

"No disrespect intended. All life within the Force is sacred. Merely commenting on our teaching timeframe, I am."

Luke stepped forward, ignoring the exchange between Han, Leia and Yoda. "What can we do to help, Leia?"

She shook her head, looking up to Han. "We need to go back. Unfortunately, I cannot continue my training right now. I am needed on Chandrila so that we can begin our offensive strategy. Han and I discussed this on the way back, and we need to talk to Ben still, but we were thinking of bringing him with us."

Anakin was frowning and shaking his head. "You have not heard what our miracle child did today. We simply cannot stop his training right now. It could be detrimental." He stood up from his seat next to Obi-Wan and walked over to Leia and Han. "Ben is brilliant and learning very quickly. He and Rey healed someone today without having been trained to do so."

Yoda also spoke up. "Putting him in the path of Snoke at this age, you cannot. He has learned much but is not controlled yet. More solidified in his training, he must be, before he faces Snoke."

Han and Leia glanced at each other again. Turning to Luke, Han said, "We know that you didn't tell us everything from the vision, Luke, but something you did say was that Ben blamed us for leaving him with you for training. Leia and I don't want to do anything that will cause him harm, or that will make him grow up into…Snoke's pupil."

Shaking his head, Luke stood up and placed his arm on Han's shoulder. "I would never let you do something like that. Ben has already grown differently than in my vision. He doesn't have Snoke in his ear telling him to be resentful, we stopped that years ago."

"I suggest that you speak to Ben and see what he would like to do," U'Kurran said, surprising everyone.

"What about his training? He simply cannot walk out on that now!" Anakin claimed, turning to face U'Kurran.

U'Kurran shrugged. "I simply mention it as Ben is old enough to be honest with you about what he wants. He is trained, as an initiate, but is also ready to become a Padawan, as we were just discussing. Leia is advanced enough to continue his training. If he leaves should not be the decision of this group; but him and his parents."

Luke nodded but noticed that no one else did. "I agree. This is not our decision." Turning to Leia and Han, he said, "This is your and Ben's decision, not ours. We have provided you our council and you can decide as you wish. But, make sure Ben is included. He's a smart young man. He is welcome to remain with me and the rest of the students, but you must do what is right for your family."

The group was quiet for a few moments, before U'Kurran spoke up again. "How are we sure that this is Snoke? Could this not be some other gang of thugs?"

Obi-Wan smiled but looked up at Depa instead of U'Kurran. "I see why you liked training him, Depa. He reminds me of any one of your padawans." She smiled and nodded. Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall before answering. "I can sense that it was Snoke, or at least someone commanding an army of his making. Jedha is surrounded by anger, pain and evil. If you peer closer, you can tell it was the one we knew would come."

Leia nodded. "He sent a message to the citizens of Jedha before he attacked. Here, we brought it with us. R2, can you show everyone?"

R2D2 beeped in response and moved into the center of the room. A holographic image displayed near in front of the group, showing a man in a black uniform.

_"Greetings, people of Jedha, I am General Kre'Tor. Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order has deemed this planet unnecessary therefore it will be demolished. Citizens of Jedha have 30 minutes to evacuate the planet."_

"Except that the bastard didn't wait 30 minutes; the ships began firing immediately." Han said, sitting down and running his hand over his face. Luke took a hard look at his friend, noting the strain written all over his voice. "Our fleet didn't arrive until well after, but the planet was still on fire when we got there."

"Did anyone tell you what the fleet looked like? What kind of ships and weaponry did he have?" Anakin asked, looking to Han.

"Most of the citizens that survived were in shock; they couldn't really form sentences. One person shared the message you just saw, but outside of that, we don't know. Jedha hasn't had orbital surveillance since the Galactic War."

Leia nodded as she sat next to her husband. R2 beeped in a sorrowful way. The gravity of the situation loomed over all of them and the room was very quiet. Luke reached out to Leia.

'Never fear, sister. We knew this was coming. That's why we had the New Republic start building up the army, right?'

Leia's eyes snapped to his. 'There are many troops, but the problem is we don't know where they are. It's the start of the Galactic War all over again. I can see death and destruction coming. I can feel it.'

"A burden of the Force, sister." Luke said out loud, stunning everyone out of the silence. "Leia and Han, why don't you go find Ben and discuss what you want to do as a family. Let us know what you decide; we still need to discuss our own plans on the path for our students. Plans for Snoke can be discussed later."

Leia nodded, motioning for C3PO and R2D2 to follow. But Luke stopped them. "3PO, can you stay for a moment?"

"Oh, yes Master Luke." He paused by the door, while the rest filed out.

"Before we continue our conversations, I wanted to ask if you thought you were needed on Chandrila for the foreseeable future. Surely the New Republic has other interpreter droids?"

"I would need to check with Princess Leia, Master Luke. But I am at your disposal as long as she doesn't need me."

"Good; speak to Leia and let me know please. But, before you go, my request is that you remain with us and begin to teach our students other languages. Ones that are common in the galaxy; maybe even how to speak with droids like R2. I may even want to be in that class!" Luke joked.

"Master Luke, you want me to be a teacher? I am an interpreter droid, sir, and not a teacher."

"Our students are smart, 3PO. They are learning the Force, but we need to have other things that they learn. Language is so important. Some of us know a few, but you know them all. You are the best fit." Anakin smiled at the droid, who stared back at him without comment. "We can help you, but you know much better than all of us."

"Thank you, Master Anakin. But I'm not sure I am the correct person to be a teacher."

"Think about it and talk with Leia, 3PO. That's all I ask." Luke walked over to him. "I really need your help in this area, and I know you are the expert."

"Yes, Master Luke. I will speak with the Princess and respond accordingly." He turned and walked out, shaking his head, muttering, "Me? A teacher?"

Luke smiled and turned his attention back to the Jedi in the room with him. "Well, Snoke has once again put a damper on our plans; and I feel like he has escalated our timeline a bit.

"Let's discuss logistics. We have two students under the direct tutelage of U'Kurran, and we have three more children that are only rudimentarily trained in the Force. They need a direct teacher as well."

"Yes, Yenoral, T'reag and Pa'Tre all need to be taught more. The teachers are becoming out numbered." Obi-Wan agreed. "What are your thoughts, Luke?"

"I suggest we promote Min to teacher level and have her take charge of the three new younglings. She is ready to become a Jedi Knight and continue her own training by teaching others. Also, since Pa'Tre is her niece, it should be easy for Min to fully train her." Luke glanced around the room and was happy to see nods all around. "Any objections?"

Murmurings of 'not from me' and 'that's a great idea' were heard all around, so Luke smiled and continued. "I will speak with her after we are done, or in the morning depending on how long we take.

"Now, the next thing we need to discuss is how to properly continue training for the older students since we don't have enough Jedi to take padawans."

Depa cocked her head to the side. "Cannot we take padawans anyway?"

"What if you disappear without completing their training?" Luke said, moving to look at her. "We lost Mace and Qui-Gon a while ago. We do not know how long you will be here with us."

Depa shrugged, looking nonplussed. "As a part of Jedi training, we must teach the children not to get too attached to the world around them, people included, yes? We take padawans, leave the new recruits to our newest, and youngest, teachers."

Shaking his head, Luke stood up and began pacing. "I do not want my students to be told that they cannot form attachments."

"That is not what I meant, Luke. My comment does not strand from old Jedi teachings, but more that they must realize that all things must end. No one will live forever; plus, I believe it's time for us to tell our older students the truth about their teachers. Why Master Mace and Master Qui-Gon left us, that we do not know their fate, nor do we know our own."

Luke was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "They have been with us for years, Luke. Some of them knew the two we have lost, and do not understand fully the implications. I agree with Depa; we need to tell them. Tomorrow."

The thought of telling the students just how their teachers came to be was concerning to Luke, but he knew it was the right thing to do. The teacher, and uncle, in him wanted to protect his students. "Considering that we are prepping them for a war that we all know is coming, perhaps it is good to lay cards out on the table. No mentioning of future visions, though, friends. We must allow these children to grow up as they will without us telling them that they 'should' or 'shouldn't' be something," he cautioned.

"Agree, I must, with Luke on this. We know the timeline has changed and be vigilant we must, and while the students deserve to know the truth, tell them of the timeline we must not." Yoda stood up slowly. "To bed I must go, friends. But on this we must agree. The students will know what we fight for – what we are teaching them for – so they can all make decisions on their part. Force them, we must not, to endure what we all will."

"Thank you, Yoda. I agree. Let's convene all the older students in the morning. We should know what Leia and Han have decided with Ben by then." Turning to Yoda, he bid him farewell. "And as to the Padawans. Let's also move forward with Depa's plan. We will also announce those that can move into that stage of their training tomorrow, and who will continue their in-depth training. Many people to talk to, and lots to do."

"You know my thoughts, Luke, but just so I'm clear, Cas and Cain are both ready. I would prefer to take them myself," said Depa.

The rest discussed their own padawan selection for a few minutes. Glancing around, Luke saw smiles or nods. "I think we are all agreed then. I will seek out Min and discuss with her and bring her up to speed on everything."

"Luke, if I may." U'Kurran stopped as everyone started to get up to leave. "May I please be with you as you promote Min? I would like to assist with any explanation as to why she was not told about the vision of the future, or anything like that. This was me not long ago and I believe I can help."

Depa snorted, and U'Kurran glanced at her. "Tell the truth, Jedi U'Kurran. You know we all know already anyway."

Looking between Depa and U'Kurran, it dawned on Luke what he meant. "You and Min?"

"For some time now, Luke. I wasn't sure how to tell you."

"You don't need to 'tell' me; it is up to you and Min how you live your lives. But it does make me glad to know this." The rest of the Jedi began to file out, most of them smirking that Luke hadn't figured this out already, but Luke remained unaware of them as he focused on what he would say to Min.

U'Kurran approached as the others left. "We had wanted to let you know that we no longer need two rooms, Luke, which is why I mention it. Now that she is being promoted, she can move into the teacher wing with me, yes?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Let me bring her here to us." Closing his eyes slightly, U'Kurran's brow furrowed slightly. After a few moments he opened his eyes. "She is on her way."

"Thank you, U'Kurran. And I appreciate your support with Leia and Han. The older Jedi tend to remember only back to their own schooling and not what we are trying to do here."

He nodded. "It is necessary, at times, to remind them of the new Jedi order we are trying to create. I appreciate that you are allowing me in your meetings and that we are free to discuss."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my friend." Luke sat down on a chair near the entry way. "Now, let's get ready to explain to Min the impending doom of both becoming a teacher and the fight we know is coming."

**A/N: Hello again! Happy Saturday, and Leap Day! I hope all of you are enjoying this little story of mine. Leave a comment with questions, comments, etc! I love to hear from all of you.**

**So, what do we think of the "new war" I started here? Anyone really surprised? **

**Thanks again to my beta, Zombiefied419, for all of your help! And, to my husband who came up with the idea: thank you, and get well soon!**

**Chapter Sources:**

**Star Wars: The Jedi Path**

** wiki/Jedha**

**Movies:**

**Star Wars: The Clone Wars (tv and movie)**

**Star Wars: Rogue One**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: A shift in perspective here...more at the bottom.**

Chapter 5

Ben walked into the assembly area of the Yavin 4 base with a lot on his mind. His parents had come to him last night to tell him that they needed to move back to Chandrila for a while, possibly permanently. Sadness took over his mind until he realized that they were giving him a choice to stay, or to go with them. Now, his thoughts were consumed with turmoil; it was a hard choice to make for a nine-year-old.

'Rey?'

'Yeah?'

'After assembly, can we talk? I need your help with something.'

'Uh, sure, as long as we aren't late to our next lesson.'

'Ok. Thanks.'

Rey came in shortly after he did and sat beside him. He figured that she could sense his mood, as her sharp eyes widened as she turned to him.

'What is it?'

'Later. Looks like Uncle is about to speak.'

Luke had stood up from his seat, facing the students. Ben noticed that it was only the first wave of initiates in the room; the newer children were not present. He also noticed that Min was not among them, rather she was sitting with the teacher. _That's interesting_, he thought.

'Looks like Min was promoted,' Rey thought at him, echoing his own thoughts.

"Hello students. We asked all of you here this morning to have a conversation with the first generation of Jedi students at this school. First, I want to congratulate Min on her promotion to Jedi teacher."

The students all clapped for Min, who smiled back at them. "Next, I want to say just how proud all of us teachers are of each and every one of you. Because of how advanced you are becoming, starting tomorrow we will be changing how we are training you."

The clapping turned to murmuring. 'What is that all about?' Rey asked him.

'I don't know. Mother didn't say anything about this last night.'

'Oh, are they back already?'

"Don't worry, you will still get your training," Luke said, smiling down at all of them. "Do any of you remember when we reviewed the old Jedi lore? The training path that we discussed on how Jedi would become Masters?"

Rey raised her hand, as per usual. Ben rolled his eyes at her eagerness. "First you start off as an initiate, then if you pass the trials you are qualified to be a padawan to a Jedi Knight. If you are chosen to be a padawan, and you pass those trials, then you move into being a Knight, and then a Master."

"Very good, Rey. We, your teachers, all feel that you are ready to become padawans." Luke let this sink in, before continuing. "As such, we have your new assignments. First, the students that are not with us today, our younger generation of learners, will be assigned to U'Kurran and Min. They will be handling their initiate training going forward.

"The rest of you will focus your training with one of the Jedi teachers. But, before we continue with the assignments, there is something that we must tell you. Father?"

Ben's grandfather rose and walked toward the group. "My name, as you know, is Anakin Skywalker. I died nine years ago."

Ben half rose out of his seat. 'What is he talking about? He's not dead! He's standing right in front of us!' Ben practically shouted to Rey. The rest of the students began murmuring as well.

'We need to hear him out, Ben. Sit down and listen.'

"Quiet down now. I am going to explain. Luke and Leia are my children, and Ben is my grandson, but my original physical form died about a year before he was born."

"We have told you, young padawans, a mystery the Force is. A great need presented itself within the Force many years ago and we came back as physical manifestations of our souls that had already passed on from this life," Yoda said, smiling at the shocked children.

"Many things are possible within the Force, as we have all said many times. What you choose to do with it is your own will, and the Force has many paths that you may take. Many times, you may feel like you are being herded toward something specific, and that is because the Force can see you are needed somewhere specific." Obi-Wan walked forward closer to the students. "This is why we are all here with you today."

Luke stepped forward. "I have not shared something with you that I must remedy. Now that all of you are becoming padawans, because you have surpassed your training as initiates, it is time for you to know.

"There is a great evil in the galaxy, and all of us may be expected to fight it. Evil who would take over the galaxy removing free will and bringing an oppressive rule. The Force recognized that I was going to need help when I saw this, and that's how we have our teachers today."

Ben sat up straight, looking directly at his uncle. Luke shifted his gaze to meet Ben's. "Is this why Mace and Qui-Gon are no longer with us?"

Yoda nodded, looking to Ben as well. "Your insight serves you well, young Ben. Remember them, do you? This is good. You can sense things without meditating. A padawan, you already are."

"What does this mean, exactly?" Leyaana asked, looking to Luke. "Are you going to disappear like Mace?"

Luke smiled down at her. "To be truthful, my student, we all will someday. However, I am not planning on going any time soon. I am not a physical manifestation of the Force, while some of the other teachers are. I, U'Kurran and now Min will continue to teach you when the others are gone."

"Teacher Luke? I don't understand. Why would you all leave us?" Odinna asked in a small voice. Ben noticed that she had grabbed Ma'Rei's hand and was squeezing it tightly.

"Odinna, we do not want to leave you. But as the Force is the power in the universe, and it is what brought us to you today, some day we will fade back into its existence." Obi-Wan stated kindly. "We simply do not want to start your advanced training without all of you knowing this."

"What did you mean by an evil in the galaxy," Rey asked, leaning forward. To Ben, she said, 'They are keeping something big from us. I can feel it.'

Luke shifted a little, glancing at the other Jedi. But Anakin was the one to speak. "Children, when I was alive, I was known as Darth Vader…"

A collective gasp resonated throughout the students. Rey sat back and absentmindedly reached for Ben's hand, clasping it firmly. Ben had heard this already, of course, when he overheard his uncle and grandfather speaking with Rey's parents many years ago. He hadn't shared much with Rey, considering it rude as it was something her parents must tell her.

Anakin held up his hands silencing the group. "As you can tell, I am no longer this person. My son helped restore me to my true self, enabling me to purge the evil within myself. That is why I can stand in front of you today with the rest of the Jedi. The truth of the manifestation of love and being freed from evil, a person and teacher standing in front of you."

'I get it!' Rey practically screamed in Ben's head. "This is what you were all talking about with the danger of the Dark side! You lose your sense of self, your ability to love and feel compassion for others!"

Anakin and Luke smiled, nodding at Rey's outburst. "Yes, Rey. And why we warn you to remain vigilant to what you want and love in this galaxy. When you lose those parts of yourself, you can lose others as well. I missed my children growing up, and the birth of my grandson, because I lost sight of who I truly was. In this, we must warn as teachers. So that you know what awaits you down the path of the Sith."

"But I don't want any of you to fade away. I miss Mace and Qui-Gon all the time," Ben said in a small voice.

Depa stepped forward, bending her knees to Ben's level and took the hand that Rey didn't already have. "A sorrow this can be, child, absolutely. But remember that we will live on in the Force. You can still feel Mace and Qui-Gon when you meditate, yes? Can you feel their compassion and their knowledge swirling around you at times? This means that someone you love is never truly gone."

Ben nodded without speaking as Rey squeezed his hand. 'It's ok. They know what they are talking about, Ben. Trust them.'

'Too much. My brain is about ready to explode.'

'I know something else is bothering you also. You aren't good at hiding your feelings from me. We will talk after.'

"Going back to my story, though, as Darth Vader my master was none other than Darth Sidious, in a new form. Remember your history lessons regarding the Galactic War? The Emperor was my master," Anakin continued, veering his eyes away from Rey. She sat up straighter and tightened her grip on Ben's hand. "We believed that he had perished in the battle of Endor, but Luke found out that this was not the case. This is the evil in the galaxy, children, and what you all need to defeat."

"Does this have anything to do with the destruction of Jedha?" Ma'Rei asked. "Odinna's parents were talking about that last night when they got back from Chandrila with Leia and Han."

Nodding, Obi-Wan said, "Yes, Ma'Rei. This, I fear, is the first of many such attacks. The Emperor, while contained for the moment, has a new apprentice who is building up an army. Many of your parents may begin to talk about this and may have to stay away for longer periods of time now."

"I know that we have thrown a lot at all of you today, but we must move forward with our padawan assignments. You will be able to ask your assigned teacher more questions. I promise to all of you that we will be honest in our answers." Luke stepped back, motioning to Yoda.

"Odinna and Ma'Rei, assigned to me you are." Both girls grinned at him.

"Cas and Cain, you will be with me. But only if you promise one thing," Depa said, winking at them both. "That you never stop pushing me or asking questions." The twins grinned back at Depa.

"Leyaana, you will be assigned to me," Obi-Wan said, stepping forward a little. "We are lucky in that it will just be the two of us. You will be able to get more focused training; however, I will still expect you to work with Min and help with her younglings. She will have three. Are you willing to assist her as well as train with me?"

Leyaana looked solemnly at Obi-Wan. "I'm honored, teacher. I do not think I can train as well as anyone else, but I will do my best."

"And last but not least, Ben and Rey." Luke glanced at Anakin. "I know that you both are used to being trained together. But we will be separating you more now that you are padawans. Rey, you will be with Anakin and Ben you will continue to train under me.

"Children, please meet up with your assigned teachers and share the midday meal with them. The teachers will tell you how they will be proceeding with your training, and what the next step is. I have decided that after that you will all have a free afternoon. Play, rest and get ready for your new assignments to begin tomorrow."

The students stood up and started walking toward their teachers. Luke and Anakin made their way to Ben and Rey, who both looked stunned to hear they would be separated. The teachers sat down after turning the chairs to face the students.

"I know that this comes as quite a shock…" Luke began.

"Uncle, I haven't trained without Rey in almost four years. Everything I can do is because she helps me." Ben stammered, going slightly red in the face.

"Ben, you can do whatever you want without me! You don't need me to help!" Rey said, removing her hand from his and turning to face him.

"I may not even be here much longer anyway," he muttered, turning his head away.

"Have you made your decision then, Ben?" Anakin asked.

"No. I wanted to talk to Rey about it. I'm not sure yet." He turned to look at Rey. "My parents need to move back to Chandrila; they asked me to decide if I wanted to stay or go back with them."

Rey's eyes filled with tears, but the rest of her face remained stoic. "Make the right decision, Ben. I won't tell you what to do, but I'll miss you if you go."

Luke and Anakin watched the two stare at each other for a while. Ben looked back and them and said, "I'm going to stay. Mother and father need to focus on the war, and I need to continue my training."

"That was fast!" Luke said, smiling. "How did you convince him, Rey?"

"I didn't. He talked it out all on his own, I just listened. He doesn't want to be a burden on his parents, and he's scared of being only partially trained and leaving. It was an easy decision when he said all of it at once.

"So, why am I being stuck with Teacher Anakin?" Rey questioned, smirking up at him. "You get the short straw?"

Anakin laughed. "Maybe I was the only one who thought they could handle your wit, child." He looked between the two, still smiling. "Luke and I will be splitting your training actually. You will have more independent and individualized training from each of us, but you will also still have sessions together. We want you to be able to do things independently, but still know how to rely on each other if needed."

Sometime later, after they had shared the midday meal with Luke and Anakin, Rey and Ben were walking through the trees to their favorite clearing. Their walk was mostly silent, as they had a lot to think about.

"I wonder why they never told us before?" Ben said, breaking the silence.

"We were young and naïve. They didn't want us to be overwhelmed."

"Newsflash, Rey, we are still young. I haven't even gotten to my double-digit yet!"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "You will in like three months, stupid. You are practically an elder at this point."

Smirking, Ben picked up a stick and threw it at her. As he had expected, she expertly avoided it by swishing her hand. It flew off in the opposite direction landing next to a tree. Rey's laughter joined Ben's as they ran the rest of the way to the clearing.

"This is so great. No lessons, no focusing or remembering. Just a free afternoon." They were both laying down in the clearing, staring up at the cloudless sky. "When was the last time we had this? A month ago?"

"At least," Rey said, agreeing. "Now that we are padawans we should insist on getting more off-time. I would love an afternoon like this once a week."

"Rey?" Ben's voice had suddenly turned serious. "Are you worried about this emperor person or his apprentice?"

"My parents talk about evil all the time, and how I can't let someone like that ruin my life."

Ben sat up, putting his arms underneath him. "What does that mean?"

Rey mirrored his stance and looked at him. "My father says that his own father was truly evil. Worse than the worst thing I can ever think of on my own. I don't know much about that man, but I know that my parents fear him. That's why they came here, hoping the Jedi would protect them from him."

Ben nodded. "I heard your father say that to Uncle Luke years ago. I'm not sure why I never said anything other than I guess I thought your father would."

"I found out just a couple years ago when I overheard them talking about him. They told me not to tell anyone else, since they didn't know how the kids would react."

"Yeah, I get that." Ben put his head down on the grass, closing his eyes again. "I wonder what type of training we will be going through now?"

Rey lay back on the grass and closed her eyes as well. "Let's worry about tomorrow later. Right now, I want to enjoy being free until we start harder training tomorrow. I am stuck with Darth Vader, after all. I better get my rest."

**A/N: From here on out we will be seeing the story from Ben's POV. The intent was that the first half of the story was Luke's, the second half was Ben's. We may mix it up once or twice in Part 3, but...well, you'll just have to wait to find out :)**

**Now, as for this interaction with Ben and Rey - remember that they are still young. They don't understand the full scope of the Emperor. They are friends and they don't really care too much about anything else. I hope that makes sense.**

**Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying my story! Let me know what you think! Thanks to my beautiful beta Zombiefied419 for all of your help!**

**Chapter Sources:**

Star Wars: The Jedi Path

Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

Movies:

Star Wars The Return of the Jedi


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Another time jump here...and moving the plot along. I hope you enjoy!** Chapter 6

~Five Years Later~

'You know that you can't hide from me, right? I know your thoughts,' Rey thought at him as she darted through the trees. 'You are up in that tree. Your mind is so loud!'

'Stop listening, then, you cheater,' Ben teased back. He was indeed up the tree that she had indicated.

'I am not a cheater, Ben Solo! I was told to find you using the Force and that's what I have done. Once again, I beat you.'

'You only think you did, young padawan. You haven't actually caught me yet.'

'You know I'm not good at climbing trees!'

'Maybe that's why I'm here.' Ben's voice became more serious. 'What would Uncle say now? You have found me; how do you get to me?'

Rey stared up at the tree for a moment, searching for a branch to hold onto so she could hoist herself up. The tree was bare until much higher up, just below where Ben was sitting smirking down at her. 'Could you be less annoying? I'm trying to work this out.'

'Take your time. Maybe I'll take a nap.'

She stomped her foot in frustration, before she finally realized what to do. Pulling the Force within her, she leapt from the ground and landed smoothly on the branch that Ben was sitting on, jarring him slightly. 'Tag. You're it.'

She laughed as she jumped back to the ground and began running through the trees. She could sense Ben following her, but she couldn't hear him. 'You are so loud,' she teased again, laughing to herself.

'I am not. I am a Jedi master moving through the trees like a Corellian banshee.' He screamed a call through his mouth that sounded eerily like the birds in question.

'See? Loud.'

"Ben! Rey! Can you come back to the base please?" They heard Luke call.

'Fun's over, young padawan.' Ben landed smoothly beside her, taking her by surprise. She playfully slapped his shoulder before pivoting and starting to run to the base. As she expected, Ben passed her easily and beat her to their destination. His legs were much longer than hers and he ran faster as a result.

"Were you playing hide and seek?" Luke said, laughing as the two ran up to him in the hangar bay. "Rey win again?"

"She doesn't always win, Uncle."

"Yes I do."

Rolling his eyes, Ben looked past his uncle and saw the Millennium Falcon, and Chewy standing near the ramp. Running forward he jumped and his favorite furry uncle; Chewy roared a laugh and caught him in mid-air. "Are my parents with you, Uncle Chewy?" Ben asked as he was put down.

Chewy roared a reply and Ben, grinning from ear to ear, looked back at Luke. "Is this why you called us back?"

When Luke nodded, Ben took off running inside the ship. His mother was sitting in the lounge area with her eyes closed. His father was not with her, so Ben assumed he was in the cockpit still. Leia opened her eyes as he approached and opened her arms. Ben flew into them squeezing her tightly.

"I missed you, mother. Please don't stay away for that long again," he said into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to get back more often." She smiled into his forehead as she kissed it lightly.

"Hey, what am I, kid, bantha fodder? Do I get a hello also?" Han said as he walked into the room. Ben disconnected himself from Leia and ran toward his father, throwing his arms around him.

"Come here and give me a hug." Ben heard his mother say. He peaked around his father's shoulder to see Rey fly into her mother's arms. He smirked at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. He knew that Rey was close to both of his parents, but he took any opportunity to tease her.

"How long are you guys back for?" Ben asked as he disconnected from his father.

"We needed to give the Jedi an update on the war, so we can stay for at least a couple days," Leia said, kissing Rey on the forehead just like she had done with Ben.

"Only a couple days?" Ben asked, feeling sad about them leaving already.

Chewy came into the lounge area of the ship and roared to Han. "I know, Chewy, I know. We need to ask Luke if they have any."

"Dad, we have some spare parts in the back of the hanger bay. I'm not sure if we have the bolt you are looking for, but I can at least show you where the storage room is."

Han looked over to Ben. "I keep forgetting you can understand him now, kid."

Ben shrugged. "3PO is a better teacher than I thought he would be. I've almost mastered droids. R2 has been getting clearer every day."

"You've moved on to droids? I thought you were still learning the Hutt's language?" His mother asked.

"Oh, that was ages ago. I got that down already." Rey smirked at Ben. "Ben is a cheater. He's been stealing it from my head."

"Hey, I was told to use what I had available to me. So, I'm borrowing. But I'm getting better at the language now!"

Leia and Han both chuckled and started to make their way out of the ship. Ben showed Chewy and Han where the storage area was, and they left Chewy to sort through it to find what they needed for the Falcon. They made their way to the back of the base where the other students were still in session.

Min and U'Kurran had combined their lessons today, so that the older of the initiates, U'Kurran's students, were starting to help Min's group. Today they were practice 'throwing' a stick at each other, using the Force, and the one being thrown at had to divert it from hitting them. The younger children were getting much better, but now and then they were softly struck.

"This is why we must continue to practice. Hruall, you are not controlling your stick well enough. Calm your mind and stop thinking about end day meal. When you are focused and under control, you will be able to slow it so the child can repel it. Try again," U'Kurran instructed.

He paused for a moment, lifted his head toward their direction and started trotting over when he saw Leia. He gingerly put his arms around her. "I thought I sensed you. How are you, Jedi sister?"

"I am well enough. We wanted to provide all of you an update on how this war is going. And, of course, we wanted to see everyone." Leia turned to hug Min as well, who had walked up next to U'Kurran. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, they let the padawans go an hour or so ago. We were just finishing up our own training and were going to join them. I think they are in Luke's quarters, as usual." Min looked to U'Kurran, who had a frown on his face. "You aren't coming with good news, are you?"

"The Emperor's puppets are getting better. They keep pushing and retreating, pushing and retreating. They also have a new commander under Snoke. Not sure what happened to the other guy, but this new one is brutal." Han ran his hand over his face, before placing his arm around Ben's shoulders. "Makes your terrible twos seem tame by comparison."

"Aww, Dad…"

"Come, let's find the others and hear your update," U'Kurran said, gesturing toward the base as Min gave final instruction to the initiates, letting them go for the day.

The group walked up into the base, and then made their way to Luke's quarters. Luke opened the door for them before they knocked, revealing that the rest of the Jedi were there. For the next hour or so, Leia and Han gave an update to the battle. Rey and Ben stood in the sidelines just listening, hoping no one asked them to leave.

"So, this guy's name is Ushar. And he – oh Ben, Rey, I didn't realize you both were still here." Han looked up at them, as if only now realizing they were in the room.

"It's fine if they stay, Han. They are going to find out about it eventually." Luke winked at them. "They have more knowledge than all of us around here anyway."

"Ushar is claiming to be the leader of the Knights of Ren, Luke," Leia commented boldly. Ben didn't understand why, but every one of the Jedi looked stricken.

"Ben, Rey, maybe you should head down to end day meal?" Anakin said, visibly shaken.

"But, grandfather, I want to stay and hear. You have all told us that we will be a part of this war someday, shouldn't we know what's happening?" he argued.

"You will, I promise. But for now, let us talk in private."

Ben and Rey, saddened at the request, left Luke's quarters and started to make their way down to the mess area. The last comment they heard was Obi-Wan saying, "I wish we had Yoda's expertise still."

Hearing Yoda's name made Ben think back to the night a couple years ago when he faded away. They had all been sitting outside under the stars chatting and laughing when Yoda began to flicker. The students had become alarmed, but Yoda, as ever, remained stoic.

"Time has come, my students and friends. Mind what you have learned and stay true to each other. It's your closeness that will purge the evil in the galaxy." He smiled at all of them and then simply faded away.

The students had been shaken to their core at watching him fade away, only a few of them having been witness to Mace when he did the same thing. Only Ben remembered Qui-Gon, as the students hadn't started arriving after he had gone.

'Why do you keep reliving that?' Rey asked him. 'We all knew it was bound to happen.'

"Sometimes I think you are more callused than you should be. It is sad to have lost someone we cared for."

"I'm just more practical than you are, that's all."

"Don't you miss him?"

"Of course I do!" she practically yelled at him. "But I also know that I cannot do anything to help him, or the situation. We will lose them all at some point."

"I think that Odinna and Ma'Rei were the most upset. Becoming his padawans and working with him so closely…I can't imagine if I were to lose Uncle. I don't know how I would be able to cope with it."

"The old Jedi way would tell you to not make any attachments, young padawan," Rey chided.

"Thank goodness that we aren't learning that, then. Come on, you brat. Let's eat."

Through the next couple of days minor details about the war started to leak out. This Ushar person, the leader of the Knights of Ren, _whatever that means_, Ben would think, had made himself known throughout the galaxy. He had made short work of several Outer Rim colonies, including some planets in the Mid-Rim. Word of him reigning terror had reached a lot of the galaxy.

Ben and Rey were both sad to see Leia, Han and Chewy head back to Chandrila, but understood that it was necessary to get back to the war. Leia and Rey had a tearful farewell, that Ben had teased her about mercilessly later. But he had still grabbed her hand for comfort while watching the Falcon fly away.

After his parents had left, Ben decided to meditate for a while in his room. Rey had been upset when he told her he wanted to do it on his own but understood the need to be alone. She had wandered off toward her own quarters to share a meal with her parents.

As he was meditating, Ben was conscious that his emotions were seeping into it. He saw death, and destruction. And, through it all, there was an underlay of pure evil.

_'Ah, there you are again. Long have I searched.'_

_'Who are you?' Ben asked the stranger towering over him._

_'I was to be your master before your uncle took you away from me. You were meant to be with me, young Ben Solo. Your destiny has been altered by those who try to control the galaxy.'_

_'I don't understand…I am not evil!' Ben shouted at the man shrouded in darkness._

_'Yes, Ben, at your heart you embrace the Dark Side. Now that I have found you again, you will begin to realize that you are being held back – restrained. I will show you true freedom and the power that you have not yet begun to develop.'_

Breaking out of his meditation, pure terror ran through his veins. Calling in his mind to Rey, Luke, Anakin…anyone who could hear, he lay down on the floor and tried to control his breathing. Luke came running into Ben's room in a panic.

"Ben, what happened? Are you OK?" he asked, leaning over him inspecting him for injury.

"Uncle, please help me. I saw something…something terrifying. A man said I was supposed to be his…his…pupil. He said I was evil! Uncle Luke, I am not evil!" Ben was shaking as he sat up slightly, grabbing Luke's hand. "Please, Uncle, help me! I don't want to be evil! He said now that he had found me, he was going to show me the darkness!" Ben's eyes got wide as he felt darkness starting to seep into him. "He's with me now!"

Luke's face paled, and he looked up as Anakin, Min, Obi-Wan and U'Kurran ran in, Rey on their heels. Rey pushed past all of them, sliding down on the floor next to Ben. She immediately grabbed his hand and closed her eyes.

Ben felt her enter his mind and the terror slowly began to fade away. He was vaguely aware of Luke repeating what Ben had said to the rest of the Jedi. Rey's presence in his mind was calming him, so he focused on her. Her strength and friendship, telling him over and over that he wasn't evil, and she wouldn't let him be. Within a few minutes he could feel serenity settling over him, he opened his eyes and stared into hers.

"Thank you," he whispered to her. She smiled and squeezed his hand, before turning to the Jedi.

"There was someone in his mind with me, but I kicked him out. He may try again, of course, but he was trying to tell Ben that he was evil to his core. That the Dark side was better. Ben is fine now, but he's shaken," Rey explained. The Jedi threw concerned looks at each other.

"How were you able to do that, Rey?" Obi-Wan asked, leaning down.

"I remembered what we had been taught about how only the Light can get rid of the Dark. I focused on the Light within me, and the power of friendship, and I basically made his mind 'bright' with the Light side of the Force. The Darkness that was sitting in his mind was kicked out when I made it too uncomfortable to stay." She shrugged, smirking a little. "It's helpful that I'm used to being in there. I know what his mind is supposed to look like."

"Yeah, because you are a cheater," Ben said, trying to sound jovial. The experience was exhausting him from the inside out, and he faltered a little, lowering himself back down to the floor.

Luke reached over and placed his hand on Ben's forehead. "You need to rest. Rey, can you please stay with him?"

"Of course. Like I could leave him right now!"

**A/N: I know that's a terrible place to end it...sorry! The next chapter is the longest in this entire plot, so I needed to pare it down. This and chapter 7 were originally all in one. Had to make a cut somewhere lol.**

**Thanks again to my beta, Zombiefied419 for your help and encouragement! **

**Chapter Sources:**

wiki/Corellian_banshee_bird

Movies:

Star Wars The Last Jedi


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Important details at the end, so stick with me. This is a longer chapter than you are used to me posting, but I hope it will be worth it!**

Chapter 7

Ben and Rey were still in his room when Luke came to find them later. Rey had been distracting him, telling him about what she was going to do when she became a Jedi teacher and how she would make the kids read all the books she had, and learn everything.

Scoffing, Ben said, "They are children. It's not easy to make children do what you want. Look at how Min struggles sometimes."

Rey shrugged and smirked at him. "That's mostly with Pa'Tre. Because they are related, I think Pa'Tre doesn't really want to obey her that much."

"Maybe she should be moved under U'Kurran. He's strict with his padawans. I bet that Pa'Tre would learn really fast that it's not wise to push a Jedi." They were both laughing when Luke came in.

"I see that you are feeling better?" Luke asked Ben.

Nodding, he said, "Yes, I feel much better. Rey and I meditated together, and I was able to recover much of my energy, uncle. I was just about to tell Rey that I am ready for food now."

Rey rolled her eyes. "When are you ever _not_ ready for food?"

"I'm glad that you are feeling better, and thank you Rey for helping," Luke said, sitting down on the bed with them. "Your presence today made all the difference. We all can't thank you enough."

Rey's face became serious as she looked up at Luke. "I was lucky that I remembered that old Jedi book, teacher. I could feel his anguish from my quarters and came running. I was already on my way when he called out to me. I didn't think, I just did."

"And you did exactly what you should have. We are all proud of you," Luke said, glancing between the two of them. "We are going to be taking another training trip tomorrow. I have a new destination in mind that should be a perfect place for a distraction, which does seem in order after today."

Ben looked leery for a moment. "It's not a desert planet, is it? I hate them."

"Desert training is as necessary as water and forest training," Rey chided, leaning forward. "But we have learned that already. Is it a water planet? I've never seen a water planet before!"

Luke laughed. "No, it's a forest planet like here. The training is not environmental." Luke stood up and looked down at them. "I just wanted to come up and check on you; the rest of the padawans were told already. Ready your stuff, we will be gone for a few days. We will leave after morning meal."

"Yes, uncle."

Once he was gone, Ben lay back down on his bed. "I wonder what the training will be if not environmental? That's the only kind of training we've left Yavin for."

Rey bounced a little, her excitement getting the better of her. "I don't care, I just want an adventure. It's been ages since we left this planet."

By morning, all the padawans that were going were excited. Min and U'Kurran were staying behind with the younger students to continue their training. Rey's parents, as well as Cas and Cain's, were staying as well. The twin's parents were expecting a fellow freighter captain to stop in, and they didn't know when to expect this person. They remained behind to make sure they didn't miss their friend.

The trip was over before the children knew it. They landed on a forested planet that looked very similar to Yavin, so the children were confused. The teachers ushered them out of the transport ship and instructed them to start setting up camp.

"Oh, it's so pretty here!" Rey exclaimed as they were setting up her tent. "Look at how green it is!"

Ben shrugged, hammering in the last stake. "It's green on Yavin."

"Rey, did you want to help us with the firepit?" Odinna asked, walking up to them. When Rey nodded, Odinna motioned for her to follow. Rey, Odinna and Ma'Rei ran off to the other side of the encampment to gather stones. Leyaana was working on her tent and chose not to go with them.

Cain walked up to Ben and sat down. "I wonder why they brought us out here. This looks just like where we came from. What's the point?"

Ben sat down next to him, shaking his head. "I don't know, seems weird doesn't it?"

Ben put his hand flat over the ground, about a foot above the surface. He took a deep breath and brought the dirt up into a swirling pattern, all under his hand. The dirt and small rocks took the shape of a small tornado. Cain grinned and put his hand out, mirroring Ben's. He began picking up small rocks and throwing them into Ben's swirl of dirt. Cas walked up and started doing the same thing, but with broken bits of dry leaves instead.

"Well, I guess Ben found what we were here to teach you," Depa said coming up to the group of laughing padawans. "Are you all read for midday meal?"

The boys jumped up, almost knocking Cas over. She snorted, ignored her brother's hand to help her up, and stood on her own. "Really?"

"I haven't eaten in forever!"

"We only left home a couple hours ago. You are ridiculous." Cas walked off toward the firepit, where the rest of the teachers were.

Soon everyone was gathered around the unlit pit, waiting for instruction. Luke handed out normal field rations as he was telling them their assignments.

"As part of your padawan training, we will be taking you to different planets. Each one may be used for different purposes. This planet is no different."

"As initiates you learn that the Force is all around you. But what if you could not use it? What if someone was inhibiting you from fighting using the Force?" Obi-Wan asked, stepping in front of the pit. "Your assignment today is to get back to home base with this in mind: Do not always use the Force."

"What?" Rey shouted as the rest of the children sat more upright in alarm. "What do you mean we can't use the Force?"

"Not for everything, youngling. But that is the key phrase to remember today." Depa stood next to Luke, Obi-Wan and Anakin. "Do you use the Force when you read a holo?"

"No."

"Do you use the Force when you are putting that ration in your mouth?"

"No."

"It is not always necessary. The Force is our ally, not our weapon. After midday meal, we will be dropping you off a distance away from camp. You will make your way back to camp by bed."

The teachers walked off toward the ship, sitting down and leaning against its hull. Rey turned to Ben with a stricken face. He stuck his tongue out at her making her laugh. Her nervousness evaporated, just as he had hoped.

The teachers wasted no time in dropping them on what felt like the other side of the planet. The children were told that they could go off on their own or stay together, that this time it didn't matter. When they were on the desert planet, they had to do the training on their own without any help.

Cas and Cain wandered off on their own as usual, and Leyaana stuck close to Odinna and Ma'Rei, naturally protective of them. Also, as expected, Rey and Ben walked together.

"You know, if we ran the whole way, we could get back by end day meal," Ben suggested, picking up the pace a little. His legs were longer than Rey's so she had to run to keep up.

'Knock it off! I am not running!' Ben slowed down, smirking at her. 'We should talk like this just in case there are creatures out here.'

'Teacher Depa said we didn't need to use the Force,' Ben reminded, continuing his fast pace without forcing Rey to run. 'But, with how thick the wood is here, it's probably a good idea.'

They walked toward their encampment for over an hour before they finally found a stream of water. Hoping that it was safe, they both dunked their canvas skin casks into the water, filled them up, and then drained them, just to fill them again. Regretfully, they left the water and pushed on.

They were starting to get tired when they heard a loud snap close by. They both stopped, their heads whipping in the direction of the noise. They remembered their training and were both still until whatever made the noise made it again. This told them the location that it was moving toward, so they could avoid it.

They heard another snap on the other side of them, and their heads followed that noise as well. Rey closed her eyes and grabbed Ben's hand, who instinctively closed his eyes as well. Even knowing what Depa had said, they still used the Force to push their feelings out and search the wood. There were spots of emptiness that they couldn't sense anything.

'It's like a void in the wood,' Rey commented, and she pushed on. There were at least ten that they could count, and they were all moving closer to them. 'Ben, quick, jump into one of the trees. You can take me with you; you are better at that.'

'I'm not strong enough to take you with me. We are going to have to fight our way out.'

'We don't have any weapons! We left our practice blades at home!'

Ben was quiet for a moment, before he started to pull the Force into himself, including Rey's strength. Just as she was starting to feel tired at the loss of power within herself, Ben put his arms around her and jumped with all his strength. He was able to make it to the closest branch, but just barely. He grabbed the branch with one of his hands, the other still holding onto Rey. Rey, who was very drained, could do nothing to help him. He felt her slipping and had a choice to make. He gathered the rest of his strength and threw Rey up onto the branch, just as he lost his grip and fell to the ground.

As Luke had taught him, he landed on the ground in a roll, coming up with a stick in his hand just as the voids closed in. They were dressed all in black with masks over their faces. Seeing the weapons at their side made Ben realize his stick was not going to be any help at all.

"A Jedi?" the one to his left asked. "You are my first, child."

"We shouldn't kill him. We should take him back to our Master. If he's a Jedi, he could be useful to us."

"Let's go, Jedi. Show us your moves." This one took out his lightsabre, lit it, and held it toward Ben. Ben couldn't move, all he could think about was how glad he was that they hadn't seen Rey.

Ben reached out with his hand, and grabbed the lightsabre, pulling it toward him. It flew through the air and Ben had it turn in mid air so he could catch the unlit end. The man screamed as Ben had taken him by surprise; but he pulled out a second sabre and charged him.

'Uncle, please hear me! Rey and I need help," Ben shouted toward the encampment, toward any Jedi close enough, as loud as he could.

Ben had never fought with an actual lightsabre yet, but he had hours of training with his practice blade. Keeping his mind off the fact that his weapon could easily cut his arm off, he blocked the man's other weapon just before it hit his face. He pushed against the man as hard as he could while pulling the Force into him to gain more strength. Putting his hand out, he pushed the man down to the ground and held him there as the other men started to run toward him.

He sensed her before he saw her, and he shook his head. 'Rey stay where you are!'

She ignored him, as she ran into the middle of the fight, grabbing a lightsabre from one of the men. She struck the man who's sabre she took, and he fell to the ground, bleeding from his face. Some of the others screamed in anger and advanced toward her. One of the men headed straight for Ben, but he stuck close to Rey.

Putting their backs together, they parried with the men. Rey pushed two of them down to join the man on the ground and held them there while she fought off two more. Rey noticed that two of them were standing on the side watching, lightsabres lit and waiting. When she sliced off one of their arms, one of those two ran forward to join the fight.

Out of nowhere, the men broke off the fight and backed up. They were surrounding Ben and Rey and still had their lightsabres on, but they were no longer advancing.

"Good…good! We need these two. They need to be taken before my Master." The man who hadn't gotten into the fray had walked toward them slowly, looking at them closely. "Do you know who I am?"

Ben and Rey didn't say anything, but she reached around to grab his hand. This time it was her who was stealing power from him. Ben knew that she wouldn't take too much, not enough to make him exhausted as he had done with her earlier. Sure enough, he felt her release the pull, but not before he realized that she did that because one of them had struck her. She was bleeding from her arm.

'Are you OK?'

'I am now, thanks.'

"You two are strong; and can pull off each other. Talking without speaking…they are definitely Jedi. Look at how easily these two use the Force? You idiots! Pay attention. They work together so seamlessly that if you aren't paying attention you could almost miss it! She just used his Force power to heal herself but didn't take too much. He is still upright and could still fight if we rushed him."

Rey and Ben were both shocked; they figured the men were Sith, but they didn't realize he could see everything they were doing.

'Can he hear us?' Rey asked timidly.

"Yes, he can, young one."

'So can I.'

The new voice came out of nowhere and shocked an already surprised Rey and Ben. The two of them glanced around but they couldn't tell which of the men the voice had come from.

'I am not among the Knights, but I am close. Ushar; bring these children to me.'

"Yes, Master," Ushar said, moving toward them.

Ben and Rey moved to face him. Ben tried to push Rey behind him, but she wouldn't go. Instead, she stood beside him with her own sabre lit, standing in a defensive position, arm reaching out in front of Ben. Ushar moved his hand out, grabbing their sabres and throwing them into the forest.

"You will not need those. Knights get your sabres that these _children_ stole from you," he said, igniting his own sabre as he moved closer to them. Two of the knights ran off in the direction of the thrown weapons, while the others came up behind Rey and Ben.

'Uncle, if you can hear me, please help us!' Ben screamed toward the encampment again. He couldn't tell how far away they were, but it seemed like a long distance.

'He cannot help you now, young Ben Solo. It is time for you to fulfill your destiny and come to me.' Ben immediately recognized the voice, as soon as it said his name.

'It's the presence in your head, Ben!' Rey said, alarmed. She took a step forward and stood in front of Ben attempting to hide him from the advancing Ushar.

"You will have to get through me first. I will not let you simply take him; you will have to kill me." Rey's voice was strong, but Ben knew she was scared. He could feel her trembling on the inside.

'That is not necessary, girl…wait! I know you! Ushar, the Emperor's granddaughter must not be allowed to escape, and must not be killed! Get them _now_!' The voice was angry, almost excited, and his voice boomed through their minds.

Ben threw his hand out reaching for one of the sabres of the knights behind him. As he had expected, they were not trained enough to be able to thwart an attack like that; soon he had a sabre in his hand. Ushar rushed forward just as Ben pushed Rey out of the way and stopped Ushar's sabre with his own.

"Keep your hands off her, you filthy Sith!" he raged, shoving with all his might. Ushar would not be moved, however, as easily as his knights were. He pushed back, knocking Ben to the ground.

Ben felt the Force pushing down on him and he was unable to move. He watched three of the knights rush forward and grab Rey, who had been trying to stand from where Ben had pushed her. They grabbed her roughly, causing her to cry out.

"Ben, stop!"

Ushar laughed, flicking his hand causing Ben to rise in the air a few feet off the ground. Two other knights rushed forward, grabbing the sabre and hauling Ben to his feet. Turning the sabre off and stowing in on his belt, Ushar turned and began walking north in the opposite direction of his men.

"Come, we must get them to my Master."

Ben and Rey were pushed forward following Ushar. Rey glanced at Ben but didn't say anything; they knew their minds were being watched. Ben was finally released from the Force hold so he could move his own feet, but he purposely tried to hold the men back by shoving his feet down into the ground.

Ushar, sensing what Ben was doing, turned around and grabbed him again, hoisting him into the air and then pulled him along. Ben was unable to struggle and came unwillingly with him. Just as he was starting to lose hope and trying to resign himself to the situation, he felt a familiar presence sneaking up behind them.

One of the knights screamed as Luke's lightsabre slashed across his back, while two others were thrown into nearby trees. Ushar let Ben go, rushing toward his knights, sabre in his hand and lit. Anakin had taken hold of the men surrounding Rey, throwing them to join the others. Some of them were charging Anakin and Depa both, sabres lit.

Ben stood up and ran over to Rey, picking her up and running her to the side of the fighting. He saw the two injured men running back after gaining their sabres back, and Ben reached out and grabbed them both. They flew through the air and Rey and Ben each caught one, grinned at each other, and then ran toward the fight.

Ben took the one that Rey had hurt earlier, fighting him to the ground easily, slicing a stripe on the top of his head, knocking him out. Rey rushed toward the man that had first attacked Ben, slicing his leg off just under the knee. The man howled in pain as Rey and Ben turned to see where else they were needed.

Anakin and Depa had taken on two of the others and were sparring with them. Obi-Wan had just ran up to Luke and took over fighting Ushar, so that Luke could fight off two of the men he had thrown earlier. Ushar slashed Obi-Wan in the chest, making him fall, and ran toward Ben and Rey.

Luke took out a blaster and shot both of the men, making them drop and then held out his hand toward Ushar halting his progress. The two that Anakin and Depa were fighting fell almost at the same time, being knocked unconscious.

Luke walked closer to them, staring at Ushar, who sneered back.

"Are you two all right?" he asked them.

"Yes, uncle. Rey was hurt earlier but she is ok for now. We will need to bandage the cut."

"And you," Luke said, still eying Ushar. "Must be the leader of the Knights of Ren."

"Yes, Jedi. And just wait until my Master finds out what you have done here today. Besting the Knights of Ren!"

"Poorly trained Knights," Rey said under her breath. Ushar's gaze whipped to her. Boldly, she stood a little straighter and said loudly, "Two children bested your knights earlier; you saw it! You had to step in. If you hadn't, we would have defeated them all."

Ushar's rage was clear on his face as Luke smiled at them both. "Never underestimate how the Jedi can use the Force, Sith. We can master it as you cannot; The Force is not innately Dark, and there are things we can do that you will never be able to." Obi-Wan hobbled over toward the four of them, Anakin and Depa on either side of him.

"What should we do with him?" Luke asked the others. "Take him to Leia for interrogation?"

Before anyone could answer that question, a howl of rage could be heard within their heads. Ushar laughed as he fell out of Luke's Force hold. What knights were awake, followed Ushar into the forest, or were drug away by someone able to move, leaving the Jedi behind laying on the ground.

Ben and Rey were the first up from the blast, having heard this man in their minds before they were not as surprised. They rushed over to Luke, helping him up, before running to where Obi-Wan, Anakin and Depa were. Ben leaned over Obi-Wan to inspect the damage, just as he saw the man flicker.

"No! Obi-Wan, you cannot leave us!" Ben cried, getting the attention of everyone around him. Rey came running over grabbing Obi-Wan's hand. Luke sat down next to his old trainer, putting his hand on the man's shoulder.

"It is my time, Ben. What a wonderous man you have grown into. Your fighting technique is impressive, truly." Obi-Wan looked up to Luke. "I am sorry you have to witness this again, my friend. No longer can I call you my pupil. You are my friend and I have enjoyed getting to know you even more."

Anakin and Depa stood together, smiling goodbye to their fellow Jedi. Ben let a tear fall, just as Rey's eyes began to water.

"Ben…" Luke said, leaning down. "Old Ben. Tell them all that we miss them when you get there. Tell them that we will fight and win, just like we planned."

Obi-Wan smiled up at Luke and then faded away, just as the rest of the group heard a menacing voice inside their heads, saying:

'I will come for you, girl.'

**A/N: Soooo, thoughts? Just keep in mind as you read my story that this is my take on a sequel series. Some aspects of this are taken from the EU, but mostly just concepts/ideas. I am trying to sort of build the story I wanted to see.**

**We move the plot along in this chapter, getting us closer to the conclusion of this Part. **

***Important* I am in celebration mode, as I have fully completed Part 3 of my story, and it is officially ready! Each part has 12 chapters...and because Part 3 is the finale, the chapters are much longer than even this one. With that, you will all receive an EXTRA chapter this week! Watch your inbox for a notification :)**

**I hope you are all enjoying my take on this universe. I look forward to comments/questions that you have. Thanks again to my wonderful beta Zombiefied419, as without you this entire thing would definitely not be as strong. The edits, the strategy sessions and support means everything!**

**Chapter Sources:**

wiki/Knights_of_Ren

wiki/Myrkr/Legends

Star Wars: The Jedi Path


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: As promised, extra chapter this week! Shout out to a review I got recently. This one's for you :)**

Chapter 8

All Ben could hear on the short flight back to Yavin was that voice threatening to come after Rey. His insides were in knots, though she was sitting next to him. The other students didn't realize what had transpired, but they were all mourning the loss of Obi-Wan.

In an attempt to get their minds off of his loss, they began to talk to each other about their treks to the camp.

"We figured out what Teacher Depa meant pretty quickly," said Cain, looking at the others. "There was this animal that we came across that wouldn't be budged by the Force. There was this odd shimmery bubble surrounding it, and nothing we threw at it would make it move. We decided the safest course was to give it a wide berth and go around. We ran into two of them but didn't have any issues."

Leyaana, who was the hardest hit by losing Obi-Wan, grimaced. "We ran into those also. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go around because there were two in the same area. I wish I could talk to my teacher about this; I fear that we trampled on their nest or something. They were not violent, but they were really unhappy that we were there. We ended up having to run for a while until they stopped following us."

Odinna nodded emphatically. "We were so tired when we made it back to camp."

'I wish they would stop talking. I'm getting a headache,' Ben complained.

'They are just getting their mind off Obi-Wan. I'm glad that Leyaana didn't see what we did. I'll never forget it as long as I live.'

'I know what you mean.' Ben had skirted the issue at hand, and he knew it. The voice in their head called Rey the Emperor's granddaughter, which was a surprise to both of them. He wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it yet.

'I need to speak with my parents when we get back.'

'I understand. Will you let me know how it goes?'

'Sure.' Her voice was so small, and she didn't quite sound like herself. The day had taken a toll on all of them.

'Both of you, please stay behind on the ship. Let the other padawans leave first,' Anakin said in their minds.

Surprised, since he hardly ever spoke to them in that manner, Ben and Rey both responded their understanding. When they landed on the base, they let the other children run off and stayed behind. Before they could ask what was going on, a stranger with bright red hair came walking on to the ship.

"Where is this Luke person who is running this school?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips, regarding them skeptically. "I need to speak with him immediately."

Luke came out of the cockpit area of the ship, looking at her with wide eyes. "I am Luke. And, you are?"

"A friend of the Lia's. I believe they told you I was coming?"

"Oh, right. Mara, is it? Nice to meet you." Luke walked closer to her with his hand stretched out.

"We can skip the pleasantries, Luke. I want to know why you are housing Empire filth in your ranks?"

"Excuse me?" Luke faltered as Anakin and Depa came into the holding chamber to stand behind him.

Mara looked at them and took a step back. Anakin stepped forward, narrowing his eyes.

"It's you! What the hell are you doing here?" she exclaimed. She looked back to Ben and Rey, who were very confused, and then back to Anakin. "It's not possible!"

Luke studied her for a moment. "Father tells me that you were an Emperor lapdog many years ago. It seems that you are Force trained, which makes sense considering how you were able to recognize him without his suit. Come, Mara, let's have a conversation."

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on here!" she cried, whipping around in time to see Rey's parents walking up the ramp behind her. "You should not be here!" she said, pointing to Rey's father.

"Mara, calm down and please let me explain." Will's face was stoic, but he glanced in Rey's direction before continuing. "Luke, perhaps we should let the children go on out with everyone else?"

Ben stood up, his emotions getting the better of him. "No! I am done with this kids table crap! We just fought Sith warriors today and I demand that we be treated like equals!"

Rey stood up and put her hand in his. "We have many questions, and after what we have gone through, I think that we deserve to have them answered!"

Depa looked at them and winked her approval. Will and Jodie just stared at Rey, mouths opened, shocked at her behavior.

"You know what? Let's throw all the cards on the table then," Mara said, stepping forward. "Children, my name is Mara Jade and I used to be one of the right hands of the Emperor. That was many years ago, and I have since turned my life around. I worked with him," she nodded toward Anakin, "when he was Darth Vader, and I watched him," she nodded at Will, "be born to a slave sired by the Emperor."

Ben and Rey looked at each other before turning their gazes back to Mara.

"Luke, I sure hope that you knew this about these people before you asked them to be teachers of your Jedi children!" She turned back to him, eyes narrowing.

Nodding, Luke took a step forward. "This is my father, Anakin Skywalker. He is no longer Darth Vader as you knew him. He is who killed the Emperor, so that I may live. He is here as a physical Force manifestation to aide me in teaching these children. This man is Rey's father, and confessed who he was the moment they all arrived. I accepted them onto Yavin to help in their protection against him."

"Against who?" Mara said looking puzzled.

"Against the Emperor. My father," Will stated blandly. He walked over to Rey and sat down next to her. "I wanted to tell you myself, but I just couldn't find the right way to say it. The Emperor that you are being trained to fight is my father, your grandfather. My mother was a slave, as Mara said, and when I was born without any Force sensitivity, my father cast me aside and never claimed me as his child. When I was almost 20 years old, I ran away with your mother because the Emperor had been contained.

"We had been told that he would break out eventually, at least that's what Snoke said, but we thought we could try and run toward those who had imprisoned him. That we would be safe."

"Where were you held, Will?" Depa asked stepping toward them. "That was something we didn't know."

"We were on Exegol. Jodie is a former slave herself that I fell in love with. We were going to wait until she had worked off her debt, but when my father was imprisoned, we had an opportunity to leave sooner than planned. Snoke heard of what happened on Teth and flew into a rage. He sent everyone scattering, and the man that Jodie owed was killed.

"We stole a shuttle and made our way to a planet where we hid for several years, making sure that Snoke was not following us. Rey was a surprise; but of the best kind," he said, smiling down at her.

"All well and good, but that doesn't stop who you are." Mara turned to Luke and Anakin, narrowing her eyes into slits. "Do you not understand the pure evil that you have on this planet of children? You are asking them to be around and teach Jedi in training with the level of hatred that I have seen in them both?"

"Mara, we do not judge those based on their background. We base our judgement on their true nature, and how they treat others, today – now. I have zero reservations on my Father, as I have gotten to know him quite well even before he came back in this form. As for Will, we do not know each other as well, but even on the surface of it he has lived here for years and has never once interfered with the children's training, or in any Force ways that are taught.

"You are welcome to visit your friends as you wish, Mara, but please let me run my school in the way I have seen fit." Luke made his last statement very firm, with a finality to it.

Ben, having sat down during this exchange, was in absolute shock over everything that he had heard. He could feel Rey's emotions ranging from scared, shock and confusion, and he wished that he could help her. He was not provided the opportunity, though, as Rey's parents insisted that she come back with them to tell them of the day's events and speak privately as a family.

Anakin made his way over to Ben as Luke escorted Mara down the hatch and outside the ship. Depa lingered by the door while Anakin and Ben spoke.

"Are you OK?" Anakin asked, taking Ben's hand lightly.

"My head hurts, grandfather. That was a lot to take in, and not being able to speak to and comfort Rey right now is hard," he said slowly, feeling exhaustion settle on him.

"You fought brilliantly today. No grandfather could ever be prouder of their grandson," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "But now you must eat and then rest. You worked hard and primarily on adrenaline; I believe. Let me get you something to eat and see you back to your room. Then you can rest."

Ben let his grandfather lead him to the mess where he ate without tasting. The rest of the students were already there, eyeing him with concern. _I must look as bad as I feel_, he thought, ignoring their glances. Once he was done eating, he was taken to his room where he laid down on his bed.

'Are you OK?' he asked Rey, hoping she would be able to answer.

'No…I am far from OK.' Ben tried to sit up, but his lack of strength didn't let him.

'What can I do to help you?'

'Talk to my parents and tell them to be reasonable!' was the reply.

Ben tried to respond but he felt sleep taking over. For the first time in a long time, he slept without dreaming.

Sometime later, Ben was awakened by loud voices in the common area of Luke's quarters. When his parents were not on base, he would stay with Luke.

"I understand what you are saying, Luke, but we simply cannot let her be put in my father's path!" Will said, raising his voice. "All of you have protected us so far, but we cannot assume that Snoke doesn't know of this school at this point. We have to hide her."

"How do you think she will handle being away from her friends? From Ben?" he heard Depa ask. "Did you think of what this will do to her personally, not to mention interrupting her training."

"Look, we know she is close with Ben, and the other students as well, but her safety has been our top priority since she was born. I will _not_ have my child driven into the hands of the Emperor!" Jodie cried emotion thick in her voice.

"If you take her now, before she completes her training, that could be even more beneficial to the Emperor," Anakin said, in a calm voice. "He took me before I had completed my Jedi training, because he knew that was when I would be most vulnerable."

Will nodded. "I understand, Anakin. Truly. But if we hide her, and he can't find her, then there is no reason to worry."

"Where will you go?" Luke asked them.

"I prefer not to say, in case Snoke does find this school. I know that none of you would give in so easily, but I know what he is capable of." Will's voice was determined. Ben knew that he wouldn't back down.

As he pushed back from the door deeper into his room, the full realization hit him. 'Rey?' he called out, hoping she would answer him.

'Do you know? Are they there now?'

'I can hear them, yes. You are leaving?'

'My stupid parents said that because Snoke saw me today, and knows that I am with you and Luke, that we need to get as far away from all of you as possible. They won't let me stay to continue my training.' Even through his mind he could hear that she had been crying.

Ben didn't know what to say. He knew that he would miss her more than just about anyone else. They were best friends and worked together so much that he wasn't sure what he would do without her here with him.

'Someday I will find you wherever you go and help you complete your training, Rey. I promise that.'

She didn't respond, but she sent her feelings of gratitude through their link. Ben tried to block out the voices still talking in the other room as he faded back into sleep.

He woke sometime later to Rey leaning over him.

"We are leaving soon. I was told that I could come to say goodbye." There were tears in her eyes and her voice waivered. Ben sat upright immediately and put his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, Rey. I don't understand why they won't let you stay." He shook his head. "I will miss you so much."

'I will miss you also,' she whispered in his mind, as her exterior body was shaking from crying. 'Ben, you are my best friend.'

'You are mine as well, young padawan,' he teased, earning a chuckle out of her. 'I'll think of you every day. And I meant what I said. When I'm older, I will search the galaxy to find you and complete your training.' He pulled back and looked into her misty eyes. 'This is _not_ goodbye! I will find you someday. I promise.'

She smiled up at him. 'You better.'

**A/N: Moving right along here. Remember, they are 13 and 14 here. **

**Also, I would be lying if I said that Mara was in my plan the whole time, but it was fairly early on when I realized that I couldn't have a Luke younger story without adding her. Simply love her character. However, please remember, the first half of my trilogy was Luke's story, the second half is Ben's. It's not Mara's story, or even Rey's story. I hope that makes sense.**

**Ok, so I had two separate people ask me about ages for everyone. We have had a few time jumps here, so let me help you out. As of this chapter, here are the names of the children and their current ages:**

**Ben (human): 14**

**Rey (human): 13**

**U'Kurran (Zabrek): 52**

**Odinna (Mirialian): 16**

**Castial Lia (Tholoth): 18**

**Cain Lia (Tholoth): 18**

**Min (Human): 30**

**Leyaana (Twi'lek): 21 **

**Ma'Rei (Humanoid from Mandelore): 16 **

**Hruall (Zabrek): 19**

**Regolan (Zabrek): 21**

**Yenoral (Twi'lek): 13**

**T'reag (Human): 12**

**Pa'Tre(Human): 10**

**Love to you all! And thanks again to Zombiefied419 for everything!**

**Chapter Sources:**

wiki/Myrkr/Legends

wiki/Ysalamir

wiki/Knights_of_Ren

wiki/Mara_Jade_Skywalker

Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith, An Essential Guide to the Force

Star Wars: The Jedi Path


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I know the last one was a sad way to end. More here, but just trust me on the path I am taking!**

Chapter 9

Through the next few weeks after Rey left, Ben went through his lessons and his daily life in a state of sorrow. Luke had asked his parents to come back for a few days, Ben was sure, because they showed up just a few days after she was gone. He was happy to see them, but when they had to leave it just made him even more sad.

The other students knew he was upset about losing his best friend, so they worked even harder to cheer him up. He worked with Leyaana a lot, since she had been moved under Anakin with the loss of Obi-Wan. Luke was busy with Odinna and Ma'Rei, taking over for Yoda, so Ben usually was with his grandfather. She was nice, and they worked together well, but she wasn't a replacement for Rey.

When his parents had been there, they'd had many meetings regarding the war. The older Jedi had finally stopped asking Ben to leave the room and included him in on all the conversations. He figured that they felt too sorry for him to ask him to leave. Instead, he got to be privy to all the depressing news on Snoke, the man who drove Rey away.

"General Antilles thinks that they are heading into the Outer Rim," Han said, reading through a holo. "He says in his last report that the last planet they attacked was Jakku. But they haven't been seen since. Since we know Snoke and Ushar were on this side of the galaxy just a few days ago…" he said, glancing at Ben, who lowered his face, unwilling to meet his father's eyes. "We assume it was his fleet without them."

"Has Snoke actually shown his face yet?" Depa asked, sitting next to Leia.

Leia shook her head. "No; the only person we ever see is Ushar. He keeps boasting about his knights and how they can ravage any planet in their path if we don't bow to their rule." She snorted smiling at Ben. "But we know that teenagers can best them, so I'm not sure why he's bragging about that."

Ben smiled, not lifting his face. Remembering how easily he and Rey were able to fight those untrained men made him miss her but reminded him at just how well they meshed. He lost his smile pretty fast.

"What's next for the New Republic then, if Snoke has gone into hiding?" Luke asked, leaning against their shared table in the common room. Anakin was sitting next to him and placed his hand on Luke's arm.

"No, more importantly, son, when are we going to join this fight?"

Everyone in the room, including Ben, all looked at him. "You want to put children in the battles?"

"Well, not all of them. The younger ones are not ready. But we have a fresh group of padawans who could serve well as advisors to the generals."

"Yes, we did that during the Clone Wars. All of our padawans came with us, and some were made Generals though they hadn't taken the master trials yet; right, Anakin?" Depa said, smirking at him.

"Obi-Wan wouldn't let me; kept telling me I wasn't ready. But, honestly Depa, let's not discuss that time of my life today," he said admonishing her, while winking at her. "But, yes, that's what I was referring to. I can tell you that our older students are ready today to help."

Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry, Father, it's not that I want to disagree with you, but I do not want to put our students in the path of Snoke."

"It was the same in the Clone Wars. But we had more teachers back then, I suppose."

Ben spoke up then, which did cause surprise as he normally said nothing during these meetings. "I think that you can make a different call, uncle and grandfather. If you consider the training that Leyaana and I have gone through, we can take over a lot, if not all, of the training for the younger children. This opens Min and U'Kurran to assist Mother and Father with the war."

Min and U'Kurran looked at Ben with wide eyes. Depa smiled her approval as Han shook his head. "That's a lot on you, kid. Is that what you want? Is that too much?"

"I can do it, father. I can be useful to all of you. Right now, I am just a burden on everyone." He held up his hand as several started to speak at once. "By that I mean that you are all worried about me since Rey left, but I want to help. And I know that Leyaana would feel the same. Depa, you always tell us that just because you are a teacher doesn't mean that you know everything; we can learn from each other."

"He has a good idea. Min, U'Kurran, what are your thoughts?" Anakin shifted his focus to the couple, sitting across from him at the table.

"I do not doubt that Ben and Leyaana can take over much of the training. I would not speak for U'Kurran, but I am happy to assist the New Republic." Min looked to her mate questioningly.

U'Kurran was silent for a moment, staring at Ben. Ben met his gaze steadily. "I believe that Ben is correct in his assessment. Look what he accomplished just days ago in fighting over ten Force trained men. There is only one problem as I see it."

"What's that?" Ben asked.

"You do not have a lightsabre yet, young padawan. It is time." Ben grinned at him, and U'Kurran smiled back. Then, looking up to Han and Leia, he asked, "What do you say, Jedi sister? Will you accept Min and I into your ranks?"

His parents had stayed for a few days until Ben and a very eager Leyaana were ready to take over much of the training with the younger recruits. The two boys that U'Kurran was teaching were the hardest to win over. Ben decided to take them on himself, leaving the younger three girls to Leyaana. Luke, Depa and Anakin would take the harder stuff, to which Ben and Leyaana would join as well, but for the most part it was just them. The boys were sad to lose their teacher and didn't take to Ben immediately. Once he told the story of fighting the Knights of Ren, though, they looked up to him – though they were both older than he was.

Once everything was settled, Ben said goodbye to his parents, Min and U'Kurran – making sure to give Chewy an extra hug as well – as they all went back to the New Republic headquarters and to the war.

He was managing his daily life fairly well, he thought, but underneath it all he wished that he had someone to talk to. The others tried, but he just wasn't as close to them as he had been with Rey. One night, almost two months after she had left, he was meditating while remembering playing hide and seek with her when he heard something that almost knocked him out of his deep state.

'I just wish that someone else was here that I knew. It's just me and my parents…'

_That sounds just like Rey! Am I seeing a vision of her in the past?_ He thought to himself. He tried to focus on the voice.

'At least they chose a pretty place to…Ben?'

'Rey? Can you see, er, hear me?'

'Yes! Ben! Oh my, I have missed you so much!'

'I've missed you too! How is this even possible?!' Ben couldn't contain his excitement at being able to hear her voice again.

'I don't know, but I'm not going to question it. Oh my goodness, I have so much to tell you!' Ben could almost see her smiling.

'Me too! But, you first. Where are you?'

'I'm not sure. We live on the beach, though! I finally got to see an ocean!'

'Oh, that's so great! I know how much you've always wanted to see an ocean. But you really don't know where you are?'

'No, my parents wouldn't tell me. I know that wherever we are does have inhabitants, but we are on the other side of the planet from them. So, it's just the three of us out here.'

'And you really live on an ocean?'

'Well, right now we are still living on the ship. There are caves just down the ocean a bit, and father thinks we may be able to live on those. They are filled with the Force, which of course he doesn't understand, but it works for me. I've been able to continue some of my training, thanks to the books that Luke put on holos for me.'

Ben practically rolled his eyes. 'Only you could be excited about reading a holo about the Force.'

'I have to keep up my training somehow, Ben.'

'I told you I would help you with that.'

'And who knows how long that will be.'

They were both silent for a few moments, then Ben asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

'Do you think we will be able to talk like this often? Or is this like a one-time thing?'

'Honestly, I don't know. Do you want to try again tomorrow? Same time?'

'Ok. But, can I tell you what has happened here, just in case it doesn't work tomorrow?'

'Yes, please!'

Ben went into a long story of the teachers going off to help the war effort, and how he and Leyaana are working together more. Rey was excited for him that he was teaching and didn't miss the opportunity to tease him about it.

'Teacher Ben. Has a nice ring to it. And here I thought you didn't want to be a teacher.'

'I never said that!'

'But you always teased me about wanting to be one!'

'It's not that I didn't want to be one, I just assumed that Mother would want me to go into politics. Why else would she make me read all those holos and old books on wars and strategy?'

'She wants you to have a well-rounded education; which you would know if you ever listened to her. She's said this many times.'

'That doesn't mean anything. She could still want me in politics, Rey.'

'You make your own path, _Ben_.'

'Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to disappoint her.'

'My mum is calling me; I am starting to lose my focus. Try again same time tomorrow?'

'I'll be here. Goodnight Rey.'

'Goodnight Ben.'

Slowly Ben brought himself out of the meditation, grinning from ear to ear. He wanted to jump up and tell someone about what had just happened, but a part of him wanted to keep the experience to himself. He decided that it was better to keep it quiet for now, especially since he wasn't sure it would ever happen again.

His entire demeanor changed the next day, and several of his friends asked what was going on. He just told them that he was excited about training and left it at that. He was sure that no one believed him but at least they hadn't pushed it.

The next day did seem to drag on, though, as he waited to be able to meditate. He couldn't wait to see if the miracle of speaking with Rey would happen again. Luke, Anakin and Depa announced another training mission to come, for all the padawans to be able to retrieve the last part needed to construct their lightsabres. This excitement helped the day go by faster, as all the students gathered the pieces they had from the previous years of training.

This time all the students were meant to go, as the teachers did not want to risk heading out to another planet amid the war without everyone together. This meant that Ben and Leyaana needed to hurry to help their trainees to get all the pieces needed. After midday meal, they were both surprised when Ma'Rei approached them.

"I wanted to speak with you both before your trainees come from their meal." She sat down next to them in the mess area and handed each of them a small bag.

Leyaana opened hers and peaked in. "I don't understand. Are these the parts you've been collecting for your lightsabre?" When Ma'Rei nodded, Leyaana asked, "Why are you giving these to us?"

"Before we lost Teacher Yoda, he and I had many conversations regarding my future lightsabre. I never cared for those parts that I'm handing you; I had a remnant from my home planet that has always been special to me, and he suggested that I may want to use that. I was unsure of how to proceed, because Teacher Yoda and I had never gotten that far, but Depa helped me to understand how to complete the construction once I had the kyber crystal. I am giving you both the pieces I had gathered as I do not need them."

Ben, who was glancing through his bag, looked up. "What are you using, Ma'Rei? If you don't mind me asking."

"I have long owned a staff, a short one, that is from a special metal made in Mandalore. It is one of the only metals that is resistant to lightsabre attacks and has the potential to be a sabre as well. This means that should I be in a fight no one would be able to cut the weapon out of my hand…unless they take my hand with it."

"I had no idea anything like that existed!" Leyaana said, looking to Ben. "You?"

"There was this species that I heard about from Rey who would use wooden staffs that they had infused within the Force. They used those to fight with rather than sabres. But I don't believe they were immune to an actual sabre attack." Ben looked closer at Ma'Rei. "Are you sure? This would surely help us out tremendously, but I do not want to give these to the trainees unless you are positive."

Ma'Rei grinned and nodded. "I would much prefer mine, as it is a symbol of my home. That is my preference. I hope this helps you both."

She walked away and Leyaana and Ben glanced at each other smiling. This just cut their entire afternoon down to just a few hours of searching; almost everything was there, except the crystal and a couple of other minor parts.

By the time Ben was heading into his room to meditate, he was absolutely giddy. His day had gone well, and now he was going to sit down and speak with Rey. _I hope._

Settling onto his bed, he began the deep meditation breathing while wishing to speak with Rey; exactly as he had the day before.

'Ben? Ben? Where are you? Can you hear me?' He could hear Rey already waiting for him.

'I'm right here, calm down.'

'I've been waiting for ages! I thought it wasn't working!'

'You said same time as yesterday. This is the same time.'

'Oh. I was meditating for a while before I heard you, so I started at my normal time.' She laughed a little. 'You can lose track of time in here.'

'Yeah I guess that seems about right. I can't believe that this happened again. Part of me thought it was a onetime thing.'

'I was reading today- '

'Is that new? I don't remember you ever reading before!' Ben teased, laughing a little.

'Oh, shut up. Anyway, I was reading one of the books Luke gave me and it was talking about a Force connection that is possible over great distances. Usually it's twins, mother and child; that sort of thing. But we are best friends. Maybe that's why?'

'Maybe? At this point I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm just glad that it's happening at all.'

'Me, too.' She was quiet for a moment. 'What did you do today?'

'Oh, Uncle told all of us that we were going on another training trip. This time to get the kyber crystals we need. It's the final step.'

'Aww, I wish I was there! I still have everything I had gathered!'

'Hey, I can get you a kyber crystal! I'll just stow it away for when I see you again.'

'That's not how it works, Ben, and you know it. You are supposed to find a patch and meditate over them to find one that will work with you.'

'But I know you well enough that I can do that for you, too.'

He heard Rey sigh. 'It's a nice thought but it really doesn't work that way. I am glad for you guys, though. I'm happy that everyone is getting sabres finally.'

'What about you? What did you do today?'

'Oh, mum is still teaching me to swim, so we did that for a while. Then she went to help dad with fishing. Have I told you just how much I hate fishing, and eating fish? That's about all we get here. Dad said he may fly into town and see about getting some equipment so we can grow other types of food. We live on sand, so I don't know how that is possible...'

Ben smiled listening to her talk. He felt like everything would be OK now that he had his best friend back.

**A/N: Ok, so let me explain...There are many things about the sequel series that I do not care for, but honestly the romantic in me really liked the "force skype" conversations between Ben and Rey. So, I knew early on that this would have to be included in my story. But, as you can see, I modified this a bit to include it into my story. This is not the same as Snoke or the Emperor, or whomever, connecting them. More on this in future chapters, of course, but for now, this is where we are.**

**Chapters will continue to be posted Wednesday and Saturdays, but we are rounding toward the end of part 2. More chapters behind us than in front :). As I said earlier this week, I have completed part 3 and it is edited and ready to go. So if you were following from part 1, I'll do the same thing as I did when I started part 2. I'll give all of you the title to part 3 in the notes at the end of this episode. If you are reading on AO3, then look forward to the final installment of the series. Should be posted same day, or the following day, when I complete this part.**

**Once again, thank you to my beta Zombiefied419 for all of your encouragement, and lending me an ear when my insecurities get the best of me. Couldn't do this without you, my friend!**

**Chapter Sources:**

databank/savareen

wiki/Mandalorian_iron

Star Wars: The Jedi Path

Movies:

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars The Last Jedi


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Another time jump, and this is basically the last one...until the very end of the next episode. I hope that you all enjoy my characters and my story! Reminder that if you haven't read Episode VII The Future Unwritten, you definitely want to read that before this!**

Chapter 10

~Five Years Later~

'So, wait, they got into your room again?' Rey asked him.

'Yes. You'd think having siblings is fun until they destroy your entire organizational system.' Ben sighed as he continued to clean up his room. Over the years they had been able to learn how to speak without being in a deep meditation. It was extremely useful, so that they could talk to each other throughout the day. They also had the ability to hear others around them when they were speaking; Ben was able to use this to continue Rey's training from afar.

Just over three years ago, his parents had surprised everyone with the announcement that Ben was going to be a big brother. He had been 15 and training new initiates heavily, since Min and U'Kurran were dropping children off left and right. He was up to five on his own, and that didn't account for how many Leyaana, Cain, Cas and Ma'Rei were training. Last he counted they were up to almost thirty initiates.

He wished they had more help, but many of the students were not with them any longer. Odinna had decided to go back to the New Republic on Chandrila to assist the war effort just that previous year. Hruall and Regolan were both starting to teach as well, so that would be a relief soon enough. Leyaana's three students were not of any help to the school, but for sadder reasons.

Yenoral had gone back home, hoping to help after the First Order devastated his village on Ryloth. Ben had heard that he had started teaching some of the children once they had all relocated; now that he could sense the Force in others it was easy to identify children in need of training.

Pa'Tre had been going home to visit her family, and Min, when her ship was destroyed by Ushar and the First Order. That was the first time that Ben had been rocked by the Force backlash of the death of someone close to him. Unfortunately, T'reag had been close behind. She had opted to join Min on an outpost in the mid rim and had perished during a battle with the Knights of Ren – who had been trained, or replaced with stronger fighters, since Ben and Rey had encountered them.

Ben knew immediately that T'reag had perished, though the full story hadn't made it back to them for almost a week. A devastated Min had come back to Yavin for a time to get absolution on the loss.

Rey giggled, bringing him out of his memories. 'I wish I had siblings. Mum always talks about it, but dad always says no. I think he doesn't want the added responsibility of keeping two of us away from dear old grandpa,' she said wryly. 'Hold old are they now? Two? Three?'

'Two and a half. And they are worse than the younger initiates U'Kurran keeps bringing us.'

'And how is Min doing? Her and the baby are OK?'

'Seems so. She was only born two weeks ago, and I haven't seen Min since she brought the baby around for us to see. She's been held up in the room probably trying to sleep.'

'I wish I could meet all of them,' Rey said sadly.

'Hey, I haven't given up hope. Now that we are both older, I should be able to leave soon to find you.' Ben continued to clean just as his brother, Jacen, came waddling in. Jaina was close behind him as always, holding onto her stuffed Wookie that Chewy had given her.

'Ben, we've talked about this. I cannot just leave my parents!'

"Jacen, no! Mom? Dad? Is anyone here or am I supposed to be babysitting?" Ben called out hoping for a response.

Leia came in and grabbed Jaina first, then Jacen. "Sorry, they got away from me again."

"Mom, they are Force sensitive. Create a barrier or something; they can levitate themselves out of anything you put them in." He reminded, sitting down on his bed. He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I need my own quarters. Jacen destroyed my knapsack yesterday, and my room is a mess. Wouldn't it be nice for you to have more room anyway?"

Leia handed Jacen off to Han as he walked into the room. "I suppose you are right. You are more than capable of living on your own. I can't keep you forever…"

"Mom, even if – when – I move out, you don't lose me. I'm still your son and I love you," he said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

Han smiled at him. "That's my boy. Very smooth."

Ben could hear Rey giggling in his head. 'Shush. I'm getting my freedom here.'

"Thank you; I'll speak with Uncle and see if I can get quarters soon. That way you guys can put up more containment for these monsters."

"Hey, those monsters are your siblings." Han laughed. Chewy walked up behind him and roared a comment before laughing also. "Oh, watch your mouth Chewy or I'll throw you into a sarlacc pit!"

Ben laughed along with them before standing up to leave. "I am spent and need to meditate. No offense, but that is impossible here. I will return to pack up my things properly later tonight." He looked to Chewy, a smirk on his face. "Can you keep these monsters at bay, so my room doesn't get even more destroyed than it already is?"

Chewy howled a laugh and reply to Ben, making him laugh as well. Leia rolled her eyes and walked into the other room with Jaina on her hip. Ben made his way out of the room before resuming his conversation with Rey.

'I enjoy them most of the time, but they are just into everything right now.'

'I understand. Just remember, they are so young. I'm sure Leia is hoping that Luke can start training them soon.'

'Luke train? Ha, more like me. Luke is losing energy daily and doesn't make it out of his room most days. He is not able to train, which is why I have remained here rather than searching the galaxy for you.' Ben walked into the woods toward his favorite meditation spot. It was dark and cool outside, so he wrapped his cloak around his shoulders tighter. 'Mara remains beside him, so she is of no help either. At least grandfather and Depa are helping.'

'I still can't believe that they are finally together. I thought they were going to hide their relationship for years until she finally got him to tell everyone. I can't wait to see them together someday; she was such a help to us in finding this planet to hide on.'

'Yeah, would be nicer if she told me where you were, so I didn't have to go searching for you.' Ben sighed, thinking back to Luke. 'I sure hope he gets better fast. This is really scaring me, Rey.'

'There is no improvement at all? He's been sick for weeks!'

'The medical droid isn't sure what to do. Mara is beside herself with worry. Nothing they do seems to make any difference. I believe that's the only reason why mother and father are still here. They should have returned to Chandrila long ago.'

'Have you meditated over him? See if you can find the cause?'

'Grandfather has, many times. Him and Mara are by his bedside almost constantly with no further details. I found her crying in the woods yesterday when I was taking the initiates out for training. It's hard to see someone so strong be that vulnerable. I sent them off and stayed with her until she was better.'

'You are such a good man, Ben.'

Ben shrugged but didn't respond. He got to the clearing that Luke took him to years ago and sat down getting ready to meditate.

'Are you in your meditation spot?'

'Yes, now stop bothering me. I need to focus. Let's see if we can make it clearer for you this time.' They had been attempting to include visual projection into their conversations. So far, they were able to see certain colors, but nothing clearer than that. 'Ok, let's give this another try. Ready?'

'Yes, I'm relaxed and focusing.' Rey was silent for a moment while Ben burrowed himself deeper within the Force trying to gain the complete serenity that came with deep meditation. Just as he was feeling his calmest, Rey squealed in his mind. 'I can see trees!'

'You can? Truly? Maybe we are final getting somewhere!'

'They are a little blurry, but I can definitely make out a trunk…branches…and…' she trailed off and her voice became quieter. 'Ben, I can almost see you.'

'Rey we may finally be able to see each other soon!'

'It's been too long, my friend.'

'Indeed.'

"Ben? Are you out here?" He heard Mara call. Standing up, he ran to her voice, telling Rey to hold on.

"Mara? Is everything OK?" he said when he caught up to her. She looked to be crying.

"It's Luke. He's awake and asking for you. He said it was urgent."

Ben followed Mara back to the base and up to their quarters. He walked into the bedroom where his uncle was resting, noticing that U'Kurran, Anakin and Depa were already there. Ignoring them, he fell to his knees at the side of the bed, putting his hand in Luke's.

"Uncle. I'm here," he said, semi-whispering to not alarm him.

"I felt you coming," was the soft reply.

"Mara said you asked for me. That it was urgent?"

Luke opened his eyes and stared into Bens for a moment before responding. "Do you remember the feeling you had when you were being invaded by Snoke? Before Rey pushed him out of your mind?"

'I sure remember that. Creepy little jackal.' Rey commented, still listening in. Ben shushed her and nodded to Luke.

"Something did that to me last night. I am sensing a dark presence, and I do not have the energy to search for the source. You must."

"Uncle, I am always willing to help you, but I have students…"

"I will take them from you, Ben," Mara said walking forward. "Anakin promised to stay with Luke during the day, and Depa as well. We can help you while you determine what is happening here."

Ben looked around at the group. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Because it felt similar to what you experienced; it was the same sort of presence, and I fear that it is Snoke coming for me. Mara and I believe that might be why I am sick now."

Ben's eyes shot up to his grandfather who nodded in agreement. "We do not know if it is Snoke, but there is definitely something murky within Luke. We could not see it before Luke found it, almost like it was hiding from view. We had to specifically look for the Darkness in order to find it.

"Also, Ben, we need to protect the younger children. We are better served as a group for us old folk to do this while you, younger and stronger than us, searches out this evil presence and destroys him. I believe that you are the best person to take on this task." Anakin looked down at him proudly.

Nodding, Ben said, "I will do as you wish. Where do I start?"

Sometime later, after providing Ben instruction on the plan, he went back to his room to rest for the night. He had to set off first thing in the morning to an old abandoned village on Yavin, just a few hours away from where they were based. His grandfather believed this was the best place to start as it had been home to the Sith many years ago. They all believed it was safer for him to go on foot; less likely to be detected by any ships.

'I am going to talk to Mara again tomorrow. It has been some time since the threat, you really must be allowed to come back. I need to know where you are,' Ben told Rey before he fell asleep.

'I cannot leave my parents, Ben.'

'But you can for a while; then I can bring you back to them once things are better.'

'Ben…'

'I want to see you again. I miss my best friend. I know that we talk all the time, but it's not enough. I want you here with me.'

'I know; I feel the same way. I just worry that they may crumble when I leave. You know how sensitive my mum is, and father cannot live without her. I just don't want to leave them alone.'

'Bring them, then. It has been long enough that surely Snoke has forgotten all about you.'

'You don't know that!'

'No, but you also know that it's a possibility. I still say, as I have always, that there is no better protection than the Jedi. And we have a lot around here.'

'Look, can we have one conversation where we don't talk about this please? I feel like we are saying the same things to each other every day at this point,' Rey sighed. 'You need to sleep. You have a long walk tomorrow.'

'I know. Stop talking and I will,' he replied, laughing, earning her laugh in return. 'And, Rey?'

'Yes, Ben?'

'I'll never stop asking you to come back. Never.'

**A/N: First, I hope that everyone is staying safe out there. We are definitely dealing with something that I've never seen in my lifetime...I hope this virus is handled fast and everyone can return to their lives. In the meantime, stay safe!**

**Second, I hope that this chapter makes sense and that you all are enjoying where I've been taking these characters. As I said in the beginning, this is the final jump till the end, so we will keep the characters at this age for some time. I am readying Part 3, as it should be started next week. We only have two more chapters of this part (Saturday-Chapter 11, Wednesday-Chapter 12). I will start Part 3 either Wednesday after I end this one, or Thursday morning (just depends on what's going on).**

**Much love, as always, to my fantastic beta Zombiefied419! Thank you for everything!**

**Chapter Sources:**

databank/savareen

wiki/Yavin_4

Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

Movies:

Star Wars A New Hope


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Got so caught up, that I forgot to post this earlier today. Apologies! I hope it's worth it. This is a shorter chapter, unfortunately. I had to focus on finishing everything in Chapter 12 (which is the last chapter!). You'll see when I post next Wednesday; was hard to find a good spot to stop. Anyway, carry on :)**

Chapter 11

Ben was up at first light setting off on his trek. He could tell by the absence of Rey in his mind that she was still sleeping. Mildly discouraged that he didn't have anyone to talk to, he got his pack together, said goodbye to his students and family, making sure to stop by Luke's quarters as well.

"Mara, I would like to revisit the issue with Rey please." Ben stood tall, hoping to get her to understand how important this was to him.

"I have already told you, her parents requested that I not tell anyone where I sent them. I will not break that trust." She was sitting next to Luke's bed, holding his hand.

"I need to see her, Mara. Surely you understand that?"

Mara sighed, leaning forward to kiss Luke on the forehead. "I understand being away from the ones you love; them being in danger and you cannot do anything about it. But I cannot break their trust, Ben, I'm sorry."

"Look, I don't know what kind of relationship you think that Rey and I have, but she is my best friend. I don't love her…not like that. I just want my best friend back." Ben's face was growing red, and he couldn't stop it.

Mara smirked, but said nothing. She motioned for him to go, so he set out without the information he had hoped to get.

He was an hour into his journey before he felt Rey stirring finally. 'Man, I thought I was going to have to do this whole walk without anyone to talk to.'

Rey didn't answer him right away. He could feel that she was awake, and he was sure that she had heard him, but she was silent.

'Rey?'

'Ben, something happened last night.' Rey sniffed.

'Are you crying? What happened?' Ben began walking faster as if he was trying to get to her.

'I saw something. Something that really terrified me.' Rey's voice didn't sound right, which scared Ben more than what she was saying. 'It was dark, and at the end there was so much death…'

'Wait…start from the beginning. Were you meditating?'

'Yes. After you went to bed I couldn't sleep, so I decided to try another deep meditation. I was curious to know if I could see your surroundings if you were asleep. But, when I settled in Yavin, I didn't find you. I found Luke.'

Ben didn't say anything, so she continued. 'Luke is really sick, Ben. I could see his energy being drained from the outside. Someone is pulling his strength out of him…honestly, unless you are able to find something, I'm not sure how much longer he will be alive. He is barely hanging on – which, by the way, the only reason he's still alive is Mara is feeding him her life force.'

'What? Doesn't she know that's dangerous? She could die!'

'I would guess her thought is that if he dies, she will follow, which is how she wants it. Anyway, that's not the point. Luke is sick, right? His normal thought blocking is gone, so I could see directly into his mind.

'Ben, I swear I wasn't trying to! But it was laying there out in the open for me to see.'

'OK, what did you see?' Rey was silent again for a few moments, and Ben was getting frustrated. 'Rey, what did you see?'

'Ben, Snoke was right. Luke did mess with time.'

'What? Snoke was right about…what?'

'Remember when he said that he was to be your master before Luke took you away from him?'

'Yeah; but he's crazy. That didn't make any sense.'

'Yes, Ben, it does. It was all there for me to see. Luke had a vision of the future…a horrible future! He worked against that vision and stopped it. What that man said in your head, that was true. I know because I saw it. The vision Luke had just after you were born. I watched it while Luke was reliving it in his mind.'

Ben stopped walking for a moment to listen as Rey recounted everything she had seen in Luke's memory. By the end, he found that he could no longer stand. Landing on the ground hard, Ben put his head in his hands and tried to calm his breathing. He couldn't believe what he heard; what Rey saw – what Luke had seen! The horrible acts that he had committed, the pain and loss that he had brought to everyone, and that his entire family was dead – including him.

'Ben? Are you OK?'

'Of course not. How the hell can I be OK after hearing that I was supposed to murder my father, cause the death of Luke and my mother…the twins? Where were they?'

'I didn't see them. Based on how your parents separated, I'm assuming they weren't born.'

'Rey, I don't know how to handle this. What the hell do I do?'

'Ben, you are not that man! Luke almost got himself killed to save you; the only thing you need to do is to keep being the man that you are. Your family relies on you and loves you for who you are, and none of them probably even think about the man you were supposed to be.'

'Apparently my uncle does.'

'He is sick and weak. He could have been forced to relive that also, so that whoever it is that is entering his mind could see it. We don't know.'

'I really don't know how to process this. Seriously.'

'Ben, you are a good person. Don't focus on something that you may have done, or someone you may have been. Focus on here and now.'

'I'll try. I just feel like I can never unlearn this. What if I am going against the plan for the universe because my uncle messed with time?'

'That's ridiculous. You know the Force has many paths. The future is never set in stone, and Luke saw to that in your case. He loved you and your parents so much that he risked his life to stop that future from happening.'

'I know, but- '

'No, I want you to think about that for a moment. Don't feel upset about what didn't happen; think about what is happening and how it's your turn to help him!'

Ben continued to walk for a while in silence. He knew Rey was with him still, and he appreciated the comfort that brought. But he needed to think, and she respected that. He went over and over the words that Rey had said and decided that she was right. He needed to focus on helping his uncle this time, just as Luke had done for him so many years ago.

Once he had made the decision to continue to help his uncle, he was able to focus more on the air around him. He was getting close to the village and something felt off. Wrong, somehow.

'Rey, the longer I'm out here, the more convinced I am that I should not be here. Something is wrong; I need to go back to the base…now! Will you stay with me? Do you have lessons today?'

'Father went to the village on the other side of the planet today, and Mum is fishing. I am good. I'll stay with you, Ben.'

'Thank you. Can you help me go into another deep meditation? My mind is still going all over the place.'

'Just relax and take a deep breath again. Feel the Force flowing through you, just as Luke taught us all those years ago. Feel my friendship coming through our link; can you feel my support? That I'll always be here for you?'

Ben did as she had instructed and was soon in a deep meditation. He could make out the walls of the cave she lived in, he could even smell the ocean, but where she sat on her bed was still gray. Even though he couldn't see her, he felt immediately relaxed by being in her presence.

'Push forward, Ben. Remember what Yoda and Obi-Wan use to tell us? Let the Force lead you to where you need to be.'

Ben remembered the training and followed the Force along a wavy path that led him right back to Yavin. He searched through the Sith village, which had been abandoned long ago. It carried no real significance, as Ben was beginning to suspect. The lines of the Force were leading him back to the base, where he sensed a large evil presence surrounded by fear. Everyone on the base was terrified…

'Rey, I need to get back…now!'

'Ben, pull from the Force and run as fast as you can. Get there quickly! I'm going to go into a deep meditation and see if I can see what is happening.'

Ben took off running, keeping himself connected constantly to the Force so he could replenish his energy as needed. He was sweating in moments because of the muggy air on Yavin but he pushed on. He knew something bad was happening and he needed to get back.

He had been running, and walking to rest for short periods, for almost an hour when Rey's presence was back.

'Ben, I know you are tired, but you are so close. Please, push forward and get back as soon as you can!'

Pushing through his exhaustion, Ben pulled more from the Force and continued to run. 'What did you see?'

'The dark presence has made himself known. Luke is lingering on the edge of death. That's all I was allowed to see. I was blocked very quickly. I'm scared, Ben. I can't do anything to help you!'

'You promised to stay with me; that's all I need.'

'If I can. If he pushes me out, I'll fight my way back. I promise.'

He felt the warmth of her soul as he rounded the last corner coming upon the base. The air felt murky; though it was midday, the base was dark and covered with a sort of dark gray fog. He could still feel Rey as he pushed forward into the hanger bay, and then up to his uncle's quarters. It was the only place he could think of to start.

He burst into the room and took in the sight before him. Mara and Depa were against the far wall unconscious, Anakin crouching in front of them, while Cas, Cain and Ma'Rei were standing in front of them, arms outstretched, holding a shadowy figure from getting to them. Luke lay behind the figure, with the twins, Leia and Han surrounding him. Leia had her arms stretched out as well, as though keeping the figure away from Luke as well.

The shadowy figure looked to Ben as he came in the room, a grin slowly creeping onto his face.

"Ah, the boy has finally returned. I see why you were trying to keep him away from me. I can make use of what my Sith brother began so many years ago."

**A/N: Well...here we go, into the finale of Part 2 of my trilogy! I hope that it's what you were all expecting. Everyone stay safe and love you lots!**

**Will post next Wednesday, the final installment of this part - and I will provide the name of the last part for you, which will be posted either Wednesday or Thursday of next week.**

**Thanks again to my fantastic beta, Zombiefied419!**

**Chapter Sources:**

wiki/Yavin_4

Star Wars Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

Movies:

Star Wars A New Hope

Star Wars The Force Awakens

Star Wars The Last Jedi

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here is the conclusion to part 2! I hope you enjoy. More at the bottom!**

Chapter 12

_The shadowy figure looked to Ben as he came in the room, a grin slowly creeping onto his face._

_"Ah, the boy has finally returned. I see why you were trying to keep him away from me. I can make use of what my Sith brother began so many years ago."_

Ben took a step closer to the figure, conscious of Rey watching through his eyes at the scene in front of him. The figure was still grinning when Ben realized that he was almost seeping out of a person standing just behind him.

"Regolan? Is that you?"

"He can no longer speak, Jedi. I have taken him. Soon I will be back for good and your friend will be no longer."

"I don't understand. Who are you?" The figure just laughed at Ben's question.

'Ben?' a small and quiet voice said in his head.

'Who is that?' Ben asked.

'It's Jacen. I am talking to Uncle Luke, and he says this man is a long dead Sith named Exar Kun.'

'Jacen? How is that possible? His name is what?'

'Ben, listen to him. He's young, but he can feel the Force instinctively. He has a pure heart and can contact Luke where no one else can,' Rey whispered in his head.

'That's what uncle said. I don't know who he is other than his name.'

"Exar Kun, if I'm not mistaken?" Ben said, causing the figure's grin to falter. "What, death wasn't good enough for you? You had to come back and try to take over a school filled with children?"

"Careful, Ben," Anakin said, stepping beside him.

"Listen to your teacher, Jedi." Ben could tell that he had made the man mad. But what he was doing was getting him away from Regolan and steering him toward himself.

"You couldn't handle a Jedi temple with fully trained Jedi, could you Kun? You had to attack a child." Ben knew he was pushing it, but the figure took another step toward Ben, so he was feeling his confidence rise. "Why don't you try to take on a fully qualified Jedi instead of trying to harm this child."

'Considering that Regolan is actually older than you, your argument really doesn't make any sense. You are really being foolish right now, Ben. Please listen to Anakin! Be careful!' Rey pleaded with him, but Ben ignored him.

"And what, stealing energy from my Uncle so that you could do this little magic trick?"

Exar Kun took another step toward Ben, his eyes on fire with rage. "Luke got in my way. He thwarted me without knowing it. I couldn't come back with him alive and protecting everyone. Regolan was a willing host."

"You say that, yet there he is cowering away from you scared to death. You take what is not yours, and you mar this school by simply being here. It's time for you to leave, Kun." Ben stood tall as his other Jedi came to step in beside him. Cas, Cain, Ma'Rei, Anakin and Rey – her presence anyway.

'Cas, where is Hruall? Why isn't he here?'

Cas shook her head and sent an image of pain and death. Ben realized that he hadn't felt the death of Hruall through the Force. Somehow this Exar Kun had managed to mask it. He tried not to dwell on the sorrow of losing a friend as he faced the man who had killed him.

Exar Kun laughed at the Jedi. "You all dare to challenge me? You think your numbers scare me? I've fought hundreds of Jedi in battle and won."

'You didn't win them all, though, did you Kun?' Ben's head whipped to the right to see a ghost of his Uncle standing just to the side of the group.

"Uncle?"

Luke smiled without taking his eyes off Exar Kun. 'I am not dead, Ben. I am simply borrowing from the twins' strength so I can be here to help you.'

Exar howled in rage, grabbing Regolan and blasting open the side of the wall, fleeing outside of Luke's quarters. Ben could see him streaking through the hanger bay and off into the forest. Before he could react, Luke looked at him and said, 'Ben, children, quickly. Run after him. You must defeat him before he has taken all Regolan's energy. He is draining his life force.

'Remember what I used to tell you about the Dark Side. Use it to stop this creature. I will follow. Go quickly now.'

Ben didn't have time to think. He ran straight for the hole that Exar had just made, jumping through it to the ground and began running in pursuit. He could feel Rey's support coming through their link, and he had desperately needed it.

'Rey, we lost Hruall.'

'I heard, Ben. I'm so sorry.' Rey's voice was just a whisper. Ben was sure that whatever had kept her out earlier was pushing her further now. 'Keep running until you find them. I'm here. I'm always here.'

Pushing forward, Ben could hear the others right behind him. He didn't have time to meditate, but he used the Force to seek out the evil in the wood without closing his eyes or losing focus on where he was going. The Force shone the way to where the dark and twisted presence of Exar Kun was standing, just above Regolan's barely breathing body.

He stopped short, just before the clearing where they were waiting for the rest of them to arrive. Cas and Cain came up and stood beside him, hands on their lightsabres. Ma'Rei stood to the other side of Cain, her Mandalorian armored weapon out and ready, glowing slightly from the kyber crystal deeply imbedded within it. Ben pulled out his sabre and lit it, walking into the field to meet the Sith.

Exar Kun laughed again as Ben approached him, the rest flanking him.

"You are not wanted here, Kun. And we will see you leave this planet for good today." Ben stood tall and focused. He sensed Anakin and Leia come into the clearing behind him, but he never took his eyes off the Sith in front of him.

"Is that so, child. Let's see what you have then to defeat me." Exar pulled a sword from his side. It was at least a meter long and had lines of bright light shining out of it. The weapon itself reeked of death and was surrounded by darkness. Kun was already more shadowy than solid, but his blade was even more so. To anyone not Force trained it would look like a void with spiderweb veins of light shining through it.

Ben took a step forward, raising his sabre, but did not rush him. He knew that a Jedi should remain stoic and solid within the Force and not seek out to hurt anyone. Fighting the Sith, though, made that hard. He knew what was happening to Regolan and Luke. Holding himself back from charging the shrouded man in front of him was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

'Remember your training, my young nephew. You can do this.' Luke said appearing on the side of the clearing.

Before Ben or the rest could do anything, Exar heaved his sword in the air making slashing motions. A dark stream of light or energy shot out of the tip of the sword, striking Cain where he stood. Ben could tell that Cain was still alive, though stunned and bleeding from his stomach. This caused Cas to falter, and she was the next one hit.

Ben and Ma'Rei didn't let another swipe of the sword happen, as they rushed forward with Anakin right behind them. All of them raised their weapons to the Sith striking, which he easily deflected. Moving into the middle of the battle, Ben stepped in front of Ma'Rei who circled around him to the other side to try and make two separate targets. Anakin circled as well until Exar was surrounded. Anakin slashed his sabre right through the Sith without making any damage.

'His sword! His sword is the key! His soul is trapped within the sword!' Rey cried in his head.

"Get his sword! That's what we need to destroy. His soul is in the sword!" Ben repeated to Ma'Rei and Anakin. Armed with this knowledge, Ben struck the sword again as hard as he could, yet no damage was taken.

Exar yelled in response to Ben's statement, slashing again and striking Ma'Rei down with bolts of electricity flying out the end of the sword. She swirled her staff striking him from the ground where she fell, while holding her bleeding leg with the other hand. Her staff made more contact than the sabres had, causing Exar to falter slightly.

It was the opening Ben was waiting for, flying in and pushing on the sword with his sabre, he drove it into the ground. Blasts of electricity rumbled on the ground where it was touching. Exar screamed again, pushing against Ben to get his sword free.

Anakin came around near Ben and was just about to hit the sword that Ben had pinned, when Exar got control over Ben, shoving the blade up and slicing right through Anakin's chest and into Ben's arm. Bleeding, Anakin fell over next to Ma'Rei while Ben stumbled to the ground holding his arm.

Ben heard a scream of rage in his ear. Turning his head slightly, he saw a woman appear next to them. She picked up Anakin's fallen sabre, relit it and faced the Sith. Exar was so shocked that he didn't react right away. The woman turned to Ben, held out her hand and smiled, though the anger and rage on her face was still present.

"Ben. Get up. I need your help."

Taking her hand, Ben stood up and stared into the eyes of his long-lost best friend. He smiled at her, before turning to face Exar, when his smile turned to a jeer. Rushing him again, he was able to pin the sword again; Rey took Anakin's sabre and repeated the same process, but this time was able to hit the sword causing a crack in the plating. She pulled the sabre back and struck again, shattering the blade. A large cloud of black and purple smoke emitted out of the fallen sword, as Exar Kun screamed again.

Seeing that the Sith was barely hanging on, Ben then used his sabre and shoved it directly through the ghost. Rey did the same with hers, causing the darkness surrounding Exar to start disbanding. It wafted into the air, as if smoke from a burning fire, blowing away the evil Sith from the planet.

"Rey? Is that you?" Leia asked. She had been rushing over to Ben and Anakin and was able to finally see the woman standing next to them.

Rey grinned at her. "It's me, Leia. Oh, I have missed you so much!"

"But, how is this possible, how are you here?" Ben asked, ignoring their exchange. Finally, he was able to see her again, and everything fell right into place as he looked at her. "Rey," he said, stepping forward and putting his arms around her. She was solid, as he expected. She wound her arms around him as well, hugging with all her strength.

Leaning back, he put his hand to her cheek. "It's good to see you."

Rey started crying but had a huge grin on her face. They stared at each other for a few moments until Ma'Re got their attention.

"Ben, it's Teacher Anakin!"

Looking down, they could see Anakin starting to flicker. "No! Grandfather!"

Ben let go of Rey and knelt down next to Anakin, placing his hand on the blood seeping onto the front of his shirt, trying to slow the wound. Rey sat beside him, placing her hand on top of Ben's.

"Ben, Rey. I'm glad I got to see you two together before I left. Cherish each other. Protect each other. You two are linked, if you didn't know that already, and you will always be stronger together. I love you both." Anakin shifted his head to Leia just as Han and Luke came bursting into the clearing. Luke ran straight to his father.

"We've been here before, Father. But this time, I know you much better, don't I?" Luke leaned down, hugging his father. "I will miss you, Father. I have cherished the extra time I have had with you."

Anakin hugged him and turned to Leia. He held his hand out to each of his children; they grasped it, both tearing. "Be vigilant, my children. The emperor is fighting his tomb and will soon escape. Do not let your guard down and prepare for battle. Snoke has an army; be sure you do as well."

Anakin flickered again and begun to slowly fade.

"Father, I love you," whispered Leia.

"I love you both. I am so proud of my family." And then he was gone.

Rey curled herself under Ben, tears streaming down both of their faces as he held on to her. Han came up to Leia and wrapped his arms around him, just as Mara sat down next to Luke, having come in just in time to witness Anakin fading. Cas and Cain were healing using the Force, as Ma'Rei, with tears streaming down her own face at the loss, pulled herself over to Regolan's shivering body. Using the Force, she was able to discern that he was severely drained, yet alive.

Luke called back to the base requesting medical assistance, then he shifted over to where Leia was and embraced her. The loss of their father was hard on both of them; Rey and Ben moved to sit next to them, enveloping them into the embrace. Eventually, the others came as well, and they all sat in a circle comforting each other.

The day took a heavy toll. Regolan was inconsolable over the death of Hruall at his own hands. Depa had remained with him and U'Kurran to try and heal the wounds inside. They had been best of friends, so that wound was deep.

Everyone else remained in the medical bay, as most needed to be healed by the droid. 3PO and R2D2 came in to check on them, but then went back to the children, 3PO complaining about things flying around the quarters. Han excused himself to check on the twins, while the rest talked.

Ben hadn't let go of Rey yet, afraid that she would disappear on him. His greatest happiness preceded a terrible heartache, but, as she normally did, her presence helped center him. He grieved, and would continue to grieve for his grandfather, but he was also so happy to see her.

"So, let me get this straight," Luke said, holding up his hand. "You two have been talking this whole time? Since Rey and her parents left Yavin?"

They both nodded, smirking at each other.

"And neither of you thought to tell anyone? Do your parents know, Rey?"

"No…" she trailed off. "I don't actually talk about the Force, or any of you. They are still so scared of my power and Snoke. I try to just avoid those subjects."

Luke turned to Ben. "And your excuse?"

"No excuse, Uncle. I was happy to be speaking with my best friend, even if was only me talking to myself." He laughed, hugging her tighter. "Truthfully, I didn't want you to know because I thought you would ask me to stop. It was productive, though. I was able to complete her training."

"What?" Leia asked, stepping forward. "How did you do that?"

"Well, Rey is sort of always listening…"

"Ben! Don't make it sound like that!" Turning to Leia, she said, "I can only listen in on a conversation if Ben lets me. It's just that he usually does. I listened while he was teaching, I practiced everything he said."

Luke stood up and walked over to them. "You sneak. That's why your lessons were so detailed! I thought I had just trained you so well…but she couldn't see through your eyes, could she? You were explaining it to her?"

"Not at first, no. We learned how to do that later," Ben said. They both looked mildly sheepish. Suddenly, Rey looked up at Ben and her smile failed.

"It's ending. I have to go now." Ben didn't get a chance to say anything before she faded from view.

Alarmed, everyone sat up looking at Ben. "Did we just lose Rey?" Ma'Rei asked.

'I'm here, Ben. I just couldn't hold it any longer.' Rey said in his head.

Ben smiled. "She's fine. She just couldn't hold her form anymore. I can still hear her."

They were all relieved to know that they hadn't lost anyone else. The group continued to talk and comfort each other while being treated for their own injuries.

Ben was starting the long walk back to the housing section of the base as Luke caught up to him.

"You did great today, Ben. I am so proud of the man you have become."

"Better than what I was going to be, right Uncle?" Ben said, rounding on Luke. His uncle's face paled slightly. "Rey saw the vision that you had when I was a baby. I know what I was supposed to become. Snoke was right; you messed with the timeline to keep me from that fate."

"Not just you, Ben, but all of us. It was for all of us that I set out to resolve. I didn't want my family to end up that way."

Nodding, Ben turned and continued to walk, Luke following. "I understand that. Rey made me understand that I am not that man, and I should not have to atone for something I never did. But I will not lie that the imagery was disturbing to say the least."

"If you ever want to talk about it…I can fill in gaps. Now that you know, there's no use in hiding anything else from you."

"Is that why you sent me out to some old Sith village?"

Luke laughed. "I didn't have the strength to do anything else; Father didn't know I faked a vision, because he trusted my word. I made them get you so I could send you far away."

"Because you don't trust me to stay on the Jedi path?" Ben said, stopping again and looking at his uncle.

Luke looked taken aback. "No, Ben. Because I was trying to make sure you weren't hurt."

"Protecting me again, Uncle?"

Luke placed his hand on Ben's shoulder. "I will always protect my family, Ben. Always."

Luke left Ben at the empty quarters that Mara had assigned him, with the promise that they would continue to talk this through in the morning.

Ben knew that all his things were still at his parent's quarters, but he would get those in the morning. For tonight, he just needed to sleep without any children waking him up.

When he got into the bedroom and turned on the light, Rey was standing there waiting for him.

"I wanted to say goodnight," she said simply. Ben rushed forward and put his arms around her.

"I can't believe I get to see you now," he whispered into her hair as he held her close.

"I don't even know how I did it. I was just so angry. I lost control, Ben."

"I know, I could feel it. But for the right reasons. Grandfather would tell us that we are human, and flawed, and we must allow ourselves to be human. It's OK that you lost control once. Just don't do it all the time."

"Did you just quote Jedi texts to me, Ben?" Rey asked, smirking, leaning back slightly so she could look up into his eyes.

"One of us needs to keep up on their reading," he said, smiling at her. When she smiled back at him, he brought his mouth down to hers.

**A/N: Ok, so, I know that's a terrible place to end it - even my beta told me that haha. However, I will post the start to part 3 of my story later today, or tomorrow at the very latest. If you are following me on A03, subscribe to the series for an update when I post it. On , please follow me and you will get notified of the story being posted.**

**Look forward to: Episode IX: The Fall of an Empire**

**Couple things before I leave this: This was my absolute favorite part to write. I found the Jedi training particularly fascinating and really enjoyed writing all of the kids growing up. Part 3 is the conclusion, so as you can imagine, there is a lot more action. Also, the chapters are almost all longer than 3k words each. All chapters are finished, and betaed as well. I will update you on post days when I start adding that story.**

**And, as you can probably tell, yes I am a Reylo fan - however, this is a Star Wars story that I could see in a Disney approved movie...meaning, no smut in this story. I am considering posting some outtakes though. If you are interested in that, please let me know. I'll post them separate from this story, but I am definitely willing to do that.**

**I am sad to see this part end, but I really hope you all come and read part 3. I am proud of that one, and I hope you enjoy it. Many, many, many thanks to my husband who gave me the idea for this trilogy, and of course, my wonderful beta Zombiefied419. Can't thank you enough for all of your help!**

**Please look for part 3 coming soon. And let me know what you thought of this part also!**

**Chapter sources:**

wiki/Temple_of_Exar_Kun

databank/yavin-4

wiki/Sith_sword

Star Wars Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Galaxy

Star Wars The Jedi Path


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